tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71213915673825183302024-03-12T20:48:40.271-05:00Love and War in TexaforniaDannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06406653975751491318noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-50254195002719755802015-09-29T19:37:00.000-05:002015-09-29T19:37:32.966-05:00You've Got Mail<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you ever watch a specific movie at a specific point in the year? The obvious example is to watch Christmas movies around Christmas. Regular every day movies can be connected with a season or event...Maybe the movie came out around a certain time of the year? Maybe annual events are connected with memories of a movie. Whatever the reason - I am totally programmed to watch certain movies at certain times of the year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today I watched <i>You've Got Mail</i> (1998) for the gazillionth time. Every time the weather starts to cool and I feel the beginnings of autumn, this movie calls to me. Perhaps it's because the movie begins in autumn? Or maybe it's the mention of a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils and school supplies? Or it could be the books and all around coziness of this movie that has permanently cemented itself in my mind as an 'autumn movie'. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgJpmlJ0chWIdYydwWYLqjMXxR7YHmTKtg-MnMrTOM6wXzUbpT0Hog7sIxUugfkSke66l2npyOVmFLWzYyS2yHU0LWPC4d-U-quH_gLoMsESr8pslfsnPTOhHsRu4B52DJxztQA0vA25T/s1600/youve-got-mail-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgJpmlJ0chWIdYydwWYLqjMXxR7YHmTKtg-MnMrTOM6wXzUbpT0Hog7sIxUugfkSke66l2npyOVmFLWzYyS2yHU0LWPC4d-U-quH_gLoMsESr8pslfsnPTOhHsRu4B52DJxztQA0vA25T/s640/youve-got-mail-movie-poster.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you've not seen this movie please do yourself a favor and watch it. I'm going to gush about it for a bit. I'll try not to include spoilers but, come one, it's a rom-com. It's not exactly shocking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The movie <i>You've Got Mail</i> was written and directed by Nora Ephron (Delia Ephron helped write too) and is based on a play written by Miklós László called, <i>Parfumerie</i>. Another excellent movie called, <i>Shop Around the Corner</i> with James Stewart is also based on his play. Notice the name of the Jimmy Stewart movie? eh *nudges* eh? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, in no particular order, I present my favorite things about <i>You've Got Mail</i>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. The amazing sound track. The songs are fun and upbeat and a little cheesy. All perfect for a rom-com, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Especially this song: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlLczNXKVKg">You've Got Mail (1998) opening credits</a> (youtube video)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. You can indulge in some late 1990's internet nostalgia. Look at that AOL startup screen. Remember waiting for those people in the third window to appear? All while listening to some type of alien language? Good times. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwd_PjzE88FSTqo6nZz4Hrf4qObMxNhds1FA_7Ylr0mA5vSQYiXTG0_B-4409fj_o29f8NcSZUmtFMfcsxUoEfhBktxEgtftXnpGDa_rrxFUyxgubFA6FgmJlcixcnfPaMkTVjQXsV4ecV/s1600/aol+nostalgia.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwd_PjzE88FSTqo6nZz4Hrf4qObMxNhds1FA_7Ylr0mA5vSQYiXTG0_B-4409fj_o29f8NcSZUmtFMfcsxUoEfhBktxEgtftXnpGDa_rrxFUyxgubFA6FgmJlcixcnfPaMkTVjQXsV4ecV/s640/aol+nostalgia.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. I adore the decor that Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan's character) has going on in her apartment. She has a couple floor to ceiling bookshelves that I envy. There's a wall on the other side, just outside the screen shot that is another huge floor to </span>ceiling<span style="font-family: inherit;"> book case! So many books. These shelves are some life goals for me. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP6q6heGxGWCTDaR01x5wlTCmBnQy9hYuYUUGuPw8mr0aUMh2ABM0go7-WOgOmQ7S5KsVnJYrQtRGXyD8tddO0R7kHfqxduRdkbLCP8-vIm3tP9vCU4ISfu0PxAmMb_H3pykSYg_6PfBy/s1600/ygm+bookshelves.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP6q6heGxGWCTDaR01x5wlTCmBnQy9hYuYUUGuPw8mr0aUMh2ABM0go7-WOgOmQ7S5KsVnJYrQtRGXyD8tddO0R7kHfqxduRdkbLCP8-vIm3tP9vCU4ISfu0PxAmMb_H3pykSYg_6PfBy/s640/ygm+bookshelves.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. The dialogue of this movie is top-notch. Especially the conversations between Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly as they get to know each other. It's quippy and fun and I adore the fact that they will talk about seemingly random things via their emails. There's something beautiful about sharing sort of "mundane" thoughts with a person. I think those thoughts, where a person's brain goes in quiet moments and what they notice, can tell a lot about a person. Joe and Kathleen swap emails about a butterfly on the subway and odd dust in the air not to mention more serious issues like business advice. They have an ability to act naturally with each other that is extremely important in a relationship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also enjoy the scenes as they get to know each other in person, or basically as Joe realizes he needs to help Kathleen see the real-email him and not the business-competitor him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, it's Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. They're adorable. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvY0LvTYa59Iwo0QajYNMq8k8XwNehUZAc1VcBgG1BcVyfdgTzxjRDhCq4Ws0Y1Z_j29uuN_c3KltG6WNo33rJYW2Ml2fNUY0xKNxh66RSHfEd39ioofBb_95uJdoXS3KRr8z5x-jwTpa/s1600/ygm+talking.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvY0LvTYa59Iwo0QajYNMq8k8XwNehUZAc1VcBgG1BcVyfdgTzxjRDhCq4Ws0Y1Z_j29uuN_c3KltG6WNo33rJYW2Ml2fNUY0xKNxh66RSHfEd39ioofBb_95uJdoXS3KRr8z5x-jwTpa/s640/ygm+talking.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcmH8rs4zGQyWbkPtTtpeTfMrkkMxTxe9D0QmXrrapG3pE6reK5h_YYDfMmwWRyu60qX_F6byW9X1tzVNuSCjDK9DbYx37xZDwyikmhY3gvsKpphGaLY7h4QMo-lVVV9Cbh7KAc_yI-gH/s1600/ygm+talking+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcmH8rs4zGQyWbkPtTtpeTfMrkkMxTxe9D0QmXrrapG3pE6reK5h_YYDfMmwWRyu60qX_F6byW9X1tzVNuSCjDK9DbYx37xZDwyikmhY3gvsKpphGaLY7h4QMo-lVVV9Cbh7KAc_yI-gH/s640/ygm+talking+2.PNG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Speaking of the dialogue, I would be remiss if this quote, said by Kathleen, was not included somewhere in this post...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="font-size: 11pt;">When you read a book as a
child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your
whole life does”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I don't think truer words about reading have ever been spoken. While I think that reading later in life can become part of your identity, it is true that in your formative years, the words you read and ideas you learn can be extremely important to you and shape you in ways you might not realize at the time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">6. I always found Kathleen and Joe to be completely relatable. Of course, having relatable characters pull the audience in and helps them identify. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">For example: Kathleen wishes she could "zing" someone by coming up with the precise thing to say in the moment, but her "mind goes blank". While Joe feels the opposite. He knows he has been too cynical and mean. I know both of those feelings all to well, as do a lot of people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Not only are the two main characters relatable and interesting. the cast of side characters is excellent. I love the way they interact, especially Kathleen's coworkers who are like a family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">7. The story takes place in New York City, as do a lot of movies. That's not really unique, but it is charming to us non-big-city-dwellers. I like the streets, especially with the fall colors, and I love the park scene that closes the movie. The flowers are beautiful. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHSF7Klonf-HUhZ64utUWLK-8mXOteyjjq8JtFlqdBecviW29GE5arexhy-AunqmVHRyxy3_veppi-TdXAmsMqbGDHIgDSAFITt3KwzxWp8Ub0ibKU4qn9aicY3WwG3s2DNsYjCbk3YTh/s1600/ygm+garden.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHSF7Klonf-HUhZ64utUWLK-8mXOteyjjq8JtFlqdBecviW29GE5arexhy-AunqmVHRyxy3_veppi-TdXAmsMqbGDHIgDSAFITt3KwzxWp8Ub0ibKU4qn9aicY3WwG3s2DNsYjCbk3YTh/s640/ygm+garden.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Sometimes I end up watching <i>You've Got Mail</i> in the springtime as well. Especially if I have a cold. It just fits, okay?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Maybe this movie isn't your thing, and that's okay. There are some odd parts of this movie, I won't deny it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">However, for the reasons listed above, for some other reasons I don't really know, and because I grew up with it, this movie has wormed it's way into my heart and into my fall movie line-up. There it will remain as a movie that makes me smile and makes my heart feel cozy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Any other <i>You've Got Mail</i> fans out there?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">***all photos, except poster, are screen-shots that I made, but really belong to Warner Bros obviously***</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">***<i>You've Got Mail</i> poster, the first picture, I found via Wikipedia ***</span><br />
<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-16809474034445984342015-05-29T14:58:00.001-05:002015-05-29T14:58:52.340-05:00My Accidental Vignette in Three StepsStep 1: Leave new, <i>fancy</i> copy of Jane Eyre on top of bookshelf because you need to rearrange to accommodate your new book.<br />
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Step 2: On a whim place Mjolnir on top of your bookshelf and on top of your book that you STILL have not made room for and put away.<br />
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Step 3: Place flowers in a jar on top of this particular bookshelf because it's the best spot for fresh flowers. Scoot the flowers closer to your book and Mjolnir because groups of three are lovely.<br />
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Now, take a step back and admire your work in creating a vignette. Pretend like it was all on purpose instead of a slow accumulation of things that you neglected to put away properly.<br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-32163721129236358312015-05-20T21:47:00.001-05:002015-05-20T21:47:45.429-05:00Is There a Polar Bear in My Family Tree? Question: So Cali, how pale are your legs?<br />
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Me: Well, I'm glad you asked. My legs are <i>so</i> pale that I only realized I had a coating of white primer on my legs because a portion of my leg looked dusty. There was no color variation.<br />
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In other news: I accidentally sprayed primer on my legs. Oops. It was a solid coating. I guess they're ready to be painted now?<br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-3883312098272545062015-05-13T17:44:00.000-05:002015-05-13T17:44:34.277-05:00Good Ol' Texas BBQ - The Extra StuffHere are some extra pictures from the BBQ crawl.<br />
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Places we stopped and things we ate that were not BBQ related...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFBZgN4CTUp22b_2DZy10_xx05dLoQd_pFCNVwpCavGzzbV-lavf3S5f06QKrymQZ8c4bJ4GGuPIGIiFkmJQU7EP9nLiS6Si_eJTg6fJfn2fnxcISVWh954x4X0S7y0Z99vL_0UMwR-Qw/s1600/20150508_101754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFBZgN4CTUp22b_2DZy10_xx05dLoQd_pFCNVwpCavGzzbV-lavf3S5f06QKrymQZ8c4bJ4GGuPIGIiFkmJQU7EP9nLiS6Si_eJTg6fJfn2fnxcISVWh954x4X0S7y0Z99vL_0UMwR-Qw/s640/20150508_101754.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peach kolache and ground sausage klobasnek from the Village Baker in West, TX</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2C7bT6_wxn12OZZG8Tpul01TwmdLUI9KWT6wfyncmlpcUkPPDLLVhAIqGNr396RysJrukTkX9fEXwYJfxxA8o2ucD9vdhQdxaEO7Ox04EQ-RJuAn7XaHJdA8q5bvYllw7M-jy6iJVLyb/s1600/20150508_142721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2C7bT6_wxn12OZZG8Tpul01TwmdLUI9KWT6wfyncmlpcUkPPDLLVhAIqGNr396RysJrukTkX9fEXwYJfxxA8o2ucD9vdhQdxaEO7Ox04EQ-RJuAn7XaHJdA8q5bvYllw7M-jy6iJVLyb/s640/20150508_142721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart, TX. Isn't it beautiful?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFMYgqkpGW1n-XSOPr3g5KJOepGEF3n-f99zZRlwwW1diDSWdh4stBex0rRT3Ur2OWiwfwVw8GTAzsUcTMaDQmRzKXiaCihqRP1ADfRiEiTbB00vu7R7nJwbdrdiGe_EJDL0VkVGGaYGk/s1600/20150508_152638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFMYgqkpGW1n-XSOPr3g5KJOepGEF3n-f99zZRlwwW1diDSWdh4stBex0rRT3Ur2OWiwfwVw8GTAzsUcTMaDQmRzKXiaCihqRP1ADfRiEiTbB00vu7R7nJwbdrdiGe_EJDL0VkVGGaYGk/s640/20150508_152638.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest oil rig ever in Luling, TX outside the Central Market.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the beautiful country side outside of Lexington, TX. Dad stopped to take some photos of hay bales. Sadly, my hay bale pictures did not turn out well. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7uLgWDp_rLUAGIS2VXyIJBgYNNAGC1Kn0UI7x7hArOuRS57CrsW6j567EOvtybuTiA8qYflweAhdmKz8KAoA4nUuFlxsO8KQyf-P9Wo0J-Vg49hJa3w4k5SdrlxfI9Rsj0bG94vbXw_S/s1600/20150509_173826.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7uLgWDp_rLUAGIS2VXyIJBgYNNAGC1Kn0UI7x7hArOuRS57CrsW6j567EOvtybuTiA8qYflweAhdmKz8KAoA4nUuFlxsO8KQyf-P9Wo0J-Vg49hJa3w4k5SdrlxfI9Rsj0bG94vbXw_S/s640/20150509_173826.2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, TX. Here you will find delicious pie with ridiculous amounts of meringue. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCFx0wRvs2MOTgbz2n7EriGVF65muyQSX7CD0Hi4ws_2jjFNk5NC49RpVOz-zl1QLeFwJFSOt6475dK_0OwpzjtSA3PdvkVUVT4USUPsZSI1wmCnPc003RuJL2wvWGhZMeasfYwNlayBQ/s1600/20150510_155341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCFx0wRvs2MOTgbz2n7EriGVF65muyQSX7CD0Hi4ws_2jjFNk5NC49RpVOz-zl1QLeFwJFSOt6475dK_0OwpzjtSA3PdvkVUVT4USUPsZSI1wmCnPc003RuJL2wvWGhZMeasfYwNlayBQ/s640/20150510_155341.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an old church building in West, TX. I adore old church buildings. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS06NALq9Goplwu_wInSRMDRbegGOr4o_Q8jbKlzqscB4rHD3ouyHECNVsyICFG9yUcbXO3CCm9lq88vxyoF_T6U6PNZL__JXNb30-SMuqtVc0U27I0fpUhG9VmVdwn7kHPcS39-66jwET/s1600/20150510_155400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS06NALq9Goplwu_wInSRMDRbegGOr4o_Q8jbKlzqscB4rHD3ouyHECNVsyICFG9yUcbXO3CCm9lq88vxyoF_T6U6PNZL__JXNb30-SMuqtVc0U27I0fpUhG9VmVdwn7kHPcS39-66jwET/s640/20150510_155400.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole front of the church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6ozPVFPdq1afq474KJnBG8pTi6RLAgrRZeByRVSVlkgGCDAmdlRuBJmcuFs00kBi6VhhRnkLADiU4ClfhMsxN_4Ay-TWH6AIsy_hNPCkqPTE-hesEZXolROzsQ9A7tirE-oNsaKXdz3/s1600/20150510_161235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6ozPVFPdq1afq474KJnBG8pTi6RLAgrRZeByRVSVlkgGCDAmdlRuBJmcuFs00kBi6VhhRnkLADiU4ClfhMsxN_4Ay-TWH6AIsy_hNPCkqPTE-hesEZXolROzsQ9A7tirE-oNsaKXdz3/s640/20150510_161235.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the best road trip stops in Texas. </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-87406590159956739542015-05-13T17:31:00.001-05:002015-05-13T17:31:11.956-05:00Good Ol' Texas BBQYou might have heard of a pub crawl, you might have even heard of a baby crawl, but I am here today to tell you about a BBQ crawl.<br />
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Texas is known for some delicious BBQ. Brisket is king around here. The best way to prepare brisket is to let it smoke nice and long. The exact ins and outs I'm not knowledgeable about. My dad has picked up a lot about Texas BBQ and enjoys making his own brisket. He's the BBQ expert in the family. So for our BBQ crawl we deferred to his expertise.<br />
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My Grammy (dad's mom) flew into Austin and we met her there. Central Texas not only has the State Capitol, but it seems to be the state BBQ capitol as well.<br />
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Disclaimers:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I am going to throw in my opinions on what we ate and my favorites. I feel a little inadequate doing so because I am by no means an expert, but I know what tastes yummy to me. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm also not going to get too detailed about each place because this post will already be quite lengthy, but if you have any questions or want to know more specifics, please feel free to ask. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Also, if close up photos of meat gross you out, you might want to skip this post. </li>
</ul>
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<br />
<b>Friday:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My dad, step-mom, and I drove to Austin. Danny joined us Saturday afternoon. During the drive we stopped for kolaches and klobasneks (sausage rolls) from the <a href="http://www.czechstop.net/" target="_blank">Czech Stop</a> and <a href="http://www.discoverwest.org/village-bakery.php" target="_blank">Village Bakery</a> in West, TX. We also stopped at <a href="https://www.buc-ees.com/index.php" target="_blank">Buc-ee's</a>. Those are mandatory stops while road tripping in Texas.<br />
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After we picked up Grammy, the BBQ eating began. Our plan of attack was to have small samples at each stop. That way we would not be too full of meat. I believe we got about 1/4 pound of brisket, a link of sausage, and a few ribs at each stop. That was plenty for four people to sample.<br />
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<b>BBQ Stop 1: <a href="https://www.kreuzmarket.com/" target="_blank">Kreuz Market</a> in Lockhart, TX </b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh51sONWBrEybcLDhPNexdY1i6DlnJwe0kOeFSmqfJHchNV7HYVJKO0G-mJBL_qpH2UcDudo6HvhmaGGnnUSYoiDCJYsBFbKDzrWmu5JT1lDAwXtL7e8Okw1Ua5wgwHdQ5qUz4rP0O07U/s1600/20150508_134405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKh51sONWBrEybcLDhPNexdY1i6DlnJwe0kOeFSmqfJHchNV7HYVJKO0G-mJBL_qpH2UcDudo6HvhmaGGnnUSYoiDCJYsBFbKDzrWmu5JT1lDAwXtL7e8Okw1Ua5wgwHdQ5qUz4rP0O07U/s640/20150508_134405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdXT1zXOimiLg-hdCq4gapgr75aPCskhx0R7kgzQ3vy-N3IAIQSWkagBCaJIvLd2_WRr8TKA7SEq9f2wYSyQDLOEAkzpbBKzniYpC2F2riy_orfxq0sWpKY97LZqH2bvXp8arO8Iunx-T/s1600/20150508_133104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdXT1zXOimiLg-hdCq4gapgr75aPCskhx0R7kgzQ3vy-N3IAIQSWkagBCaJIvLd2_WRr8TKA7SEq9f2wYSyQDLOEAkzpbBKzniYpC2F2riy_orfxq0sWpKY97LZqH2bvXp8arO8Iunx-T/s640/20150508_133104.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kreuz was out of ribs (what? weird day) We had brisket and sausage. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Traditionally BBQ is presented like this. Meat piled onto brown butcher paper. They'll give you bread for sandwiches and pickles and onions are free. Most places also have sides such as beans, potato salad, and coleslaw for purchase.<br />
<br />
I have been to Kreuz twice before. All three times have been yummy.<br />
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<b>BBQ Stop 2: <a href="http://blacksbbq.com/" target="_blank">Black's BBQ</a> in Lockhart, TX</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGLa3kZkaPyc4UeFbRCJti92rXu3Dqdo_vWOYeSTP-fqH0YisLouwsmpIbUlvCvTwf1QBf7zLB6ZCJW_8H-k2Gs-TN6EVCcoG-PgzlfrrLsFl13btHRTcDa3dK3zdH5BXBlPYNNELFj0y/s1600/20150508_134918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGLa3kZkaPyc4UeFbRCJti92rXu3Dqdo_vWOYeSTP-fqH0YisLouwsmpIbUlvCvTwf1QBf7zLB6ZCJW_8H-k2Gs-TN6EVCcoG-PgzlfrrLsFl13btHRTcDa3dK3zdH5BXBlPYNNELFj0y/s640/20150508_134918.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black's Barbecue in Lockart, TX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjPsHyLaPzkmtxgmxMpDqpIkeNWdPmO30CCS-zP1dWB4TwqlvwBryLHOL_KBmnao3PovzFwgErl1nLlzr4bc69qUfPApimzmX2FgjVmEBVYhvSEGkz5gX1wBKsKP2BnWSQ1WZIEg-pazs/s1600/20150508_135447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjPsHyLaPzkmtxgmxMpDqpIkeNWdPmO30CCS-zP1dWB4TwqlvwBryLHOL_KBmnao3PovzFwgErl1nLlzr4bc69qUfPApimzmX2FgjVmEBVYhvSEGkz5gX1wBKsKP2BnWSQ1WZIEg-pazs/s640/20150508_135447.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brisket, sausage, and pork ribs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Black's was also good, but I like Kreuz a bit better. Black's has more side options though.<br />
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<b>BBQ Stop 3: <a href="http://www.lulingcitymarket.com/" target="_blank">City Market</a> in Luling, TX</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-owhcSLpzHiEiDV43FsOUIZMeOALdLqucOj06fcD1bau-RaR9PdHVCTDLZUygZ4dCnVKJYLhDrXAdUfMJ0ed0JOZRkKA6TqPtgKSAQ1yPm45dTEaKIJ9tarANsK8V11xPG3qrD3YcgoQ/s1600/20150508_145540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-owhcSLpzHiEiDV43FsOUIZMeOALdLqucOj06fcD1bau-RaR9PdHVCTDLZUygZ4dCnVKJYLhDrXAdUfMJ0ed0JOZRkKA6TqPtgKSAQ1yPm45dTEaKIJ9tarANsK8V11xPG3qrD3YcgoQ/s640/20150508_145540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City Market in Luling, TX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIafQKyElhghpiNTMBklpXm2j8subWueZSBCIGstBI4n1UpQLiPQoDKHMHkP2LGOE_zWcYw_YOVgC7VDowQnP9Sps0XPeKZ-NFJJOTycsT3bmNuwWBCYY0FwhNCl9RiKv9toFV412xtR4/s1600/20150508_150453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIafQKyElhghpiNTMBklpXm2j8subWueZSBCIGstBI4n1UpQLiPQoDKHMHkP2LGOE_zWcYw_YOVgC7VDowQnP9Sps0XPeKZ-NFJJOTycsT3bmNuwWBCYY0FwhNCl9RiKv9toFV412xtR4/s640/20150508_150453.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brisket, pork rib, and sausage<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
City Market has my favorite pork ribs. Franklin BBQ (see below) has the most tender ribs, but City Market has a little different rub or preparation or something that provides a slightly sweeter flavor. Whatever it is, it works well with pork. <div>
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<div>
Those three stops were all the BBQ for the day. After City Market we stopped at another Buc-ee's so my Grammy could enjoy all the glory of Buc-ee's. </div>
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For dinner we ate salad at Panera. After all that meat, those veggies tasted great! </div>
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<div>
<b>Saturday:</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Saturday morning we woke up early to drive an hour to Lexington, TX to a place called Snow's. They are only open on Saturday and they open at 8:00. We ate BBQ for breakfast. </div>
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<div>
Actually, I was a proper Hobbit on Saturday. I ate a bit of yogurt and fruit at the hotel, so the BBQ was my second breakfast. Pippin would be so proud. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Continuing on...</div>
<div>
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<div>
<b>BBQ Stop 4: <a href="http://www.snowsbbq.com/" target="_blank">Snow's BBQ</a> in Lexington, TX</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGrYuwpdauPTlhxAg3b2rkXQfTwrqmw8CboZFXwz2rlqt8rVJJXrZrT0g-7LmfP26qvhSuLRtCfy0YW-XqOs13TIX9I2iGnVQV8iZcv5SYXiD2xbAtEXGkn56ghR6sqRHJIzVbLXYlted/s1600/20150509_081956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGrYuwpdauPTlhxAg3b2rkXQfTwrqmw8CboZFXwz2rlqt8rVJJXrZrT0g-7LmfP26qvhSuLRtCfy0YW-XqOs13TIX9I2iGnVQV8iZcv5SYXiD2xbAtEXGkn56ghR6sqRHJIzVbLXYlted/s640/20150509_081956.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow's BBQ in Lexington, TX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd95lI7J-6OvZ-ZRCLH_hdXCP9wb1QcIFhtzS4J-H9AemLcGE7f7r0SZZscQE9M7lN1NOIrNFMGlHzaIfCaDOiqBOkXdbis_fDkXjoq-DFBGHbez-2Y97OCgFwiNSMDffOvo2VgDTr6yOz/s1600/20150509_082843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd95lI7J-6OvZ-ZRCLH_hdXCP9wb1QcIFhtzS4J-H9AemLcGE7f7r0SZZscQE9M7lN1NOIrNFMGlHzaIfCaDOiqBOkXdbis_fDkXjoq-DFBGHbez-2Y97OCgFwiNSMDffOvo2VgDTr6yOz/s640/20150509_082843.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pork ribs, turkey, brisket, regular sausage, and jalapeno sausage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Snow's was delicious! The turkey was amazingly tender and perfect and the brisket almost melted in your mouth. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Down the street from Snow's was a cattle auction. That was a little awkward. "Hi cows! I'm going to go eat your cousin. Thanks for all you do!"</div>
<div>
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<div>
<b>BBQ Stop 5: <a href="https://southsidemarket.com/" target="_blank">Southside Market</a> in Elgin, TX</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Between Lexington and Austin is a town called Elgin. We stopped there for our fifth and final BBQ stop of the day. </div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilz0X5OU0p9AXfYJFQk215efThtaxr5Jsja33kVPJHxdqcG9kcmdkY4Zmg9vpHO_izBNJVnmoIJ3kr3RNpXT8WYVT_7aBIy0dUwwJPYQfHV7ZdJXloIvvtThLID-gldgS5JGbaHKUq6Vz0/s1600/20150509_100119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilz0X5OU0p9AXfYJFQk215efThtaxr5Jsja33kVPJHxdqcG9kcmdkY4Zmg9vpHO_izBNJVnmoIJ3kr3RNpXT8WYVT_7aBIy0dUwwJPYQfHV7ZdJXloIvvtThLID-gldgS5JGbaHKUq6Vz0/s640/20150509_100119.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southside Market in Elgin, TX</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__rVfQ-opImUptRNQmfr7ZWIEFQ_pvP7hkmZVJunCB07gUoPwPfn9v16WvOBT5KwcqWhtKjiXbOnALiQ9WSNyUZyem1yA7CxGFODqMCQkG4CTA45p2P_4tLlV9BGbiDdVjXJR8Prqr24X/s1600/20150509_102331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__rVfQ-opImUptRNQmfr7ZWIEFQ_pvP7hkmZVJunCB07gUoPwPfn9v16WvOBT5KwcqWhtKjiXbOnALiQ9WSNyUZyem1yA7CxGFODqMCQkG4CTA45p2P_4tLlV9BGbiDdVjXJR8Prqr24X/s640/20150509_102331.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brisket, coleslaw, cheese, mutton, and pork ribs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Southside BBQ was a similar style to a Rudy's, Hard 8, or Ten-50. I mean it was more of an open-all-day-restaurant instead of a open-till-you-run-out-of-meat place like Snow's and Franklin's. </div>
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<div>
It was good, but not my favorite from the trip. </div>
<div>
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I had never tried mutton before, so that was fun. </div>
<div>
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<div>
After Southside we were done with BBQ for the day. We drove around Austin for a bit and ate at an Amy's Ice Cream. Then we went back to the hotel to rest and wait for Danny.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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After Danny found his way down to Austin, we all drove to Marble Falls to a lovely diner called the Blue Bonnet Cafe. I love that place. I love diners. I love pie. </div>
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That evening we all gathered in the hotel lobby and visited. </div>
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<b>Sunday:</b></div>
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We slept in a little on Sunday. Our only plan was to eat at Franklin's BBQ.</div>
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<b>BBQ Stop 6: <a href="https://franklinbarbecue.com/" target="_blank">Franklin Barbecue</a> in Austin, TX</b></div>
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Danny and I got to Franklin's at 9:30. They open at 11. There was already a substantial line. This didn't shock either one of us. We've been to Franklin's before and it is delicious. We got our food a bit after 12:00. After eating the deliciousness that is Franklin Barbecue, you forget all about the long wait. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQHJ3GRraPeIBDI_1rb0XPW90rFoZ8ZI8rNbs0cYI_N9Fx3L7iEqv9nZ1gMD8qYdHrMO45agW1U5ifD4jmBE7Oowbkx2vniXraJRblVd-BEsd47uaWzfruXThDmuTmNi0LYu4I9XQ1u9J/s1600/20150510_115607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQHJ3GRraPeIBDI_1rb0XPW90rFoZ8ZI8rNbs0cYI_N9Fx3L7iEqv9nZ1gMD8qYdHrMO45agW1U5ifD4jmBE7Oowbkx2vniXraJRblVd-BEsd47uaWzfruXThDmuTmNi0LYu4I9XQ1u9J/s640/20150510_115607.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franklin BBQ in Austin, TX</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeeKRuiCwjBNCRs5rA-J_XezkxJ_ViU3pddya-WX10jzI9olOPdf-2gYWxjvmf2Inw7CNHUeDkRLTNGW9Wb6ftMFYGvZq0Iy1ybC_wF8IUolNGT3qu601xvJSnIJZEi450wdEjGmykWLi/s1600/20150510_124248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeeKRuiCwjBNCRs5rA-J_XezkxJ_ViU3pddya-WX10jzI9olOPdf-2gYWxjvmf2Inw7CNHUeDkRLTNGW9Wb6ftMFYGvZq0Iy1ybC_wF8IUolNGT3qu601xvJSnIJZEi450wdEjGmykWLi/s640/20150510_124248.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coleslaw, beans, sausage, turkey, pork ribs, and brisket</td></tr>
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We bought more food at Franklin's because it was our actual lunch (and only BBQ) for the day. </div>
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Franklin BBQ is delicious. Their brisket and pork ribs are so tender that you can barely pick them up with a fork. </div>
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The ribs literally fall off of the bone. It's true! Look...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhPcsoC1jKR7ymLsMFh9Pvz9220L3ddXtpKpMUCMoUwzK8Ah8hZFiDhKtycVIZEtd4YuXeipgL4GVk63TyKMVX6GFcEfHemXJZ8ha7IAk8tQjVQxYPLDtrjC5hwqJTVQmuc5OUE300Y_V/s1600/20150510_125042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhPcsoC1jKR7ymLsMFh9Pvz9220L3ddXtpKpMUCMoUwzK8Ah8hZFiDhKtycVIZEtd4YuXeipgL4GVk63TyKMVX6GFcEfHemXJZ8ha7IAk8tQjVQxYPLDtrjC5hwqJTVQmuc5OUE300Y_V/s640/20150510_125042.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is some turkey, then some rib meat just barely hanging on to the bone. </td></tr>
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Franklin definitely has be most tender meat. So good. </div>
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After lunch Danny and I headed back home. We stopped at Buc-ee's and the Czech stop again. </div>
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For dinner that night all I wanted to eat was zucchini. I cut up a zucchini into spears and Danny said, "What are these green ribs?" </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PFsgiz2-3GK7AJOvrpn-8jiS_RDbk2WqhvfXGQpBSzFPBaZPDcttyX33B8yX0xpzWteyd4fxnirF3hEnSZu43V-Z-okoIltWD99_UtcNRyqyQ5CqomrbPu8fvqEn7ktDiE20-VmexzOo/s1600/20150510_182032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PFsgiz2-3GK7AJOvrpn-8jiS_RDbk2WqhvfXGQpBSzFPBaZPDcttyX33B8yX0xpzWteyd4fxnirF3hEnSZu43V-Z-okoIltWD99_UtcNRyqyQ5CqomrbPu8fvqEn7ktDiE20-VmexzOo/s640/20150510_182032.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">green ribs</td></tr>
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Which is great really. I think I'll make the name switch permanent. Green ribs, everyone! Be sure to eat your green ribs.</div>
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I had a wonderful time on the trip. My dad and Danny are some of the best people to road trip with. </div>
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That my friends, is how we do a BBQ crawl in Texas.</div>
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<b>Cali's Favorites:</b></div>
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<b>pork ribs: Luling (closely followed by Franklin and Snow's)</b></div>
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<b>brisket: Franklin and Snow's</b></div>
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<b>sausage: hard to tell. Sausage all tastes similar to me. Probably Franklin though.</b></div>
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<b>turkey: Snow's</b></div>
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Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-5877732397536713392015-03-12T16:51:00.000-05:002015-03-12T16:51:53.392-05:00Communication This post might seem odd and sudden considering I've not updated the blog since November, but something happened this morning that was interesting to me. Also embarrassing.<div>
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Side note: Embarrassing is a common descriptor for several, if not the majority, of my experiences in life. </div>
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This morning I was meeting with a woman from church. We are paired up to work closely together for who knows how long. We decided to meet to plan some things and at first I was excited. </div>
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Yet as we talked I felt myself getting stressed and defensive. I'm still not exactly sure why I began to feel that way. I think perhaps my pride was a bit injured through no fault of hers. </div>
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Something else you should know about me is sometimes communication is a big struggle for me. Not so much the remembering to tell people things or knowing the importance of communication (hint hint: it's important), but rather the very act of getting words out of my mouth. I know the idea I want to communicate or what I want to convey and I can find the words to do so in my head, but in speaking the words get lost somewhere. It is, at times, frustrating for me. Mostly it's not a big issue or even a small issue. Occasionally though it leads to miscommunications and misunderstandings. </div>
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I sat there feeling defensive, which made it even harder for me to communicate, and unsure what to do about this new arrangement. When suddenly, she stopped and asked me what she could do to help me feel more at ease with the new plans. She sensed my defensiveness and probably my hostility and confronted me about it in a gentle way. I was completely taken back and a bit mortified! I realized immediately that I was being ridiculous. I apologized for my behavior and tried my best to explain my concerns. After that, things went smoother and I believe we came up with a good plan. </div>
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Conversation is risky at times. Things either go smoothly, or sometimes arguments may arise, or grudges can be formed. Here is a way to prevent the two latter things: do not be afraid to ask people to clarify. Ask them to help you understand what they are saying. </div>
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She could have shied away from confronting me and being open and we would have parted both feeling unhappy about the situation. Instead she politely, and calmly confronted me in a way that I could tell she was truly attempting to understand. </div>
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The whole event led me to think about how many arguments and quarrels could be calmed or avoided all together by people willing to be open, honest, and unafraid to ask questions. Be willing to ask for clarifications and be open to explaining them. Doing so might cause you to feel vulnerable, but it will be worth it if good communication can be reached. </div>
Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-42364326769568391422014-11-20T12:31:00.000-06:002014-11-20T12:31:40.764-06:00Adventures in Downtown Troy, NYThe last day of our trip was Wednesday. Danny needed to work part of the day and then we would catch our plane back home.<br />
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I checked us out of the hotel and headed to downtown Troy. Parking was almost entirely parallel parking. Fortunately I found a spot that I could park our rental car mini-van without too much hassle. I had never parallel parked a mini-van before. I think I did pretty well.<br />
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I enjoyed walking around downtown. Here is an idea of what the streets looked like:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s0Y1eQWuyTgfa_tOfUEFypRdfy8XQvjHB-Y9HSwxRifeXe5Lintq6wHjp0p1zY8FONYuBAmcoxpOm_Jahi0UhYJpam8yZ2hQoPSkzb-RK9P5VzzwqSCIk5djEv8_MN28uHQUFur1pD-j/s1600/20141008_095325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s0Y1eQWuyTgfa_tOfUEFypRdfy8XQvjHB-Y9HSwxRifeXe5Lintq6wHjp0p1zY8FONYuBAmcoxpOm_Jahi0UhYJpam8yZ2hQoPSkzb-RK9P5VzzwqSCIk5djEv8_MN28uHQUFur1pD-j/s1600/20141008_095325.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The street I parked on. Looking towards a couple of churches.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vT_uBlHtX8uYVZSItrreeHEM6PtcVx2foHY6NwauOv6rCnzXBlGozo_RGuVYsZNhSqnFEPyLsaBju8hZHm5e0OSP_smNNRKiDWZngbZi9eVIpOepBMdrNg6Hx0f6zjsg_z7XEgk49Io7/s1600/20141008_095710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vT_uBlHtX8uYVZSItrreeHEM6PtcVx2foHY6NwauOv6rCnzXBlGozo_RGuVYsZNhSqnFEPyLsaBju8hZHm5e0OSP_smNNRKiDWZngbZi9eVIpOepBMdrNg6Hx0f6zjsg_z7XEgk49Io7/s1600/20141008_095710.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love these older church buildings! They are all over the place.</td></tr>
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Troy was home to Sam Wilson, an early settler of Troy, who later became the inspiration for the personification of Uncle Sam. </div>
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As I was taking this picture and waiting for some other people to move so the statue was clear, I could hear a conversation between two people about various prison sentences they have served and how their stay in prison went. They were all minor offences so I wasn't too concerned. It's nice those two people found something they could share with each other. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8uN-PcWM_89tRCUDsNHDbI2kv54TXghnFKb4c2NOsJdnYE5zZsLM2sw01SLd0xnrlngmXmmXv_2LhhBUdgjWQ4peysDTfwLb4hS4GQtDxjo5cTfacafF5VvMb92wZEjPnYTD7hyphenhyphenJn_vA/s1600/20141008_100932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8uN-PcWM_89tRCUDsNHDbI2kv54TXghnFKb4c2NOsJdnYE5zZsLM2sw01SLd0xnrlngmXmmXv_2LhhBUdgjWQ4peysDTfwLb4hS4GQtDxjo5cTfacafF5VvMb92wZEjPnYTD7hyphenhyphenJn_vA/s1600/20141008_100932.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Sam Wilson statue in Riverfront Park, Downtown Troy, NY</td></tr>
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As far as I could gather, recently the city of Troy encouraged artists to create Uncle Sam statues. They are displayed in various spots around the city. This one of Captain America Uncle Sam happens to be the only one I came across. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1ibNjethU310Uc7uotwmnVJ1mexrz5THd2iF-WomgnKPsfxu51a82CrR3EvBvWthwtG62_f_XCyrKRo3kdOxGalFgzHxP12CVnsQWXnSiXZ1wtBQ5qpWjBulALVKcOYPWWOgfzcWIwJM/s1600/20141008_100222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1ibNjethU310Uc7uotwmnVJ1mexrz5THd2iF-WomgnKPsfxu51a82CrR3EvBvWthwtG62_f_XCyrKRo3kdOxGalFgzHxP12CVnsQWXnSiXZ1wtBQ5qpWjBulALVKcOYPWWOgfzcWIwJM/s1600/20141008_100222.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain American Uncle Sam Statue in Downtown Troy, NY</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hudson River looking south. Seen from Riverfront Park in downtown Troy, NY</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYsObywzEpwIikfP3yPViYR3e3dCR8LM3IfgpqgFQrdW1F-weOOYGFKwZi1WE8jzWojH-cF24ISRsDTAjhXLt1MZlLyKIobGKfr0c_U-0wro2ypueYW185s1Ndx6kDOTbtti7w6cHrHSh/s1600/20141008_100653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I found a bookstore! I might have specifically researched ahead of time about a bookstore location. I love bookstores! I especially love local bookstores. I enjoy the local sections that include books about local history or by local authors. I also have a great time reading the staff recommendations. I browsed around the bookstore for a while. I ended up buying a small book of Robert Frost poems as a souvenir of my nature walk the day before. When I was in Oxford, Mississippi earlier this year I went to Faulkner's home and then purchased one of his books from the local bookstore. I think I will make this a tradition. I also purchased <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Abraham-Lincoln-Pocket-Conspiracy/dp/1250025710" target="_blank">The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy: A Novel</a></i> by Jacopo della Quercia as an early birthday present for myself. I read about it in the staff recommendations and it sounds like it will be an entertaining read. I look forward to reading it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market Block Books </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1IHnxSZ1-7oScfDJDYOn8PyUtWL1934mIr-IGf-v48Lork60u_bPa1oAaGH2JJIJgg6rib-Oa_6gLxz5S9jMGoGgoh39tMH5K06JAobqIkeP09364Mp-oyZJWKnMxYmfKQYf5L_9sePG/s1600/20141008_101519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1IHnxSZ1-7oScfDJDYOn8PyUtWL1934mIr-IGf-v48Lork60u_bPa1oAaGH2JJIJgg6rib-Oa_6gLxz5S9jMGoGgoh39tMH5K06JAobqIkeP09364Mp-oyZJWKnMxYmfKQYf5L_9sePG/s1600/20141008_101519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1IHnxSZ1-7oScfDJDYOn8PyUtWL1934mIr-IGf-v48Lork60u_bPa1oAaGH2JJIJgg6rib-Oa_6gLxz5S9jMGoGgoh39tMH5K06JAobqIkeP09364Mp-oyZJWKnMxYmfKQYf5L_9sePG/s1600/20141008_101519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Must. Obey. (Outside Market Block Books)</td></tr>
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For lunch I stopped at a place called Illium Cafe. I had a delicious corned beef sandwich with some dill potato salad. The interior of the cafe was interesting. It was, of course, an old building. It had been a jewelry shop and the cafe kept the structure of the the display cases and the original murals on the walls that depicted life in early Troy. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illium Cafe where I had lunch<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhv-a3R1-LvcJWMGWM5n5A2hU6fx3xxNFgAKoHWwcRbggHOovoO9z1DE557eNpjgMeEXruM8zbGD4PeZvQTenfWgyf64LhtP1TK8DagqH_9yNKrTAU4Ww2L3wFJ-3sQoI-JIT5nFO1PYV4/s1600/20141008_111307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
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After lunch I wondered around and looked at a charming home furnishing store. I enjoyed window</div>
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shopping and taking in a different city. As I walked around I stumbled upon a war memorial from the Revolutionary War through World War II. It was difficult to get a good picture. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the war monument/memorial</td></tr>
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I still had some time before I needed to meet Danny so I ducked into a tea shop I had seen on my way to the book store. This tea shop was called the Whistling Kettle and it was lovely! They had all types of tea. I was only interested in the herbal selections. They also had lemonade and hot cocoa. I selected a yummy herbal tea and they brought me out a personal kettle. I drank my herbal tea and read read my new books. I felt pretty content. The Whistling Kettle also had crepes, sandwiches, soups, and salads. I ended up ordering a Nutella banana crepe, a favorite of mine, and it was delicious! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Whistling Kettle</td></tr>
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Sadly, the time came for me to meet Danny and go home. We arranged to meet at a park just outside of RPI campus. The weather was fantastic so I sat on a bench under a tree and soaked up the last cool autumn breezes of my trip. </div>
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When we were getting in our car to leave I looked at the tree I had been sitting under and noticed how it was colored. It looks like someone sprinkled the autumn color, doesn't it? </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tree sprinkled with fall color in Prospect Park</td></tr>
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I am so glad I was able to go with Danny. I do feel a <i>little</i> guilty that he had to work and I had all that fun without him. He assures me that he didn't mind.<br />
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Basically it was a perfect vacation for me. It contained some of my favorite things: history, autumn weather, autumn color, trees, nature, books, food, mini road trips, and Danny.<br />
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Coming home was a little difficult. We happened to be having some warmer than usual weather and I wished I could be back in Vermont and upstate New York exploring and watching the leaves change. Repeatedly, I reminded myself how intense the winters are to snap myself back to reality. Now the leaves are changing at home and I think it's great that I experienced autumn twice!<br />
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With New York and Vermont in the mix, I have visited 28/50 states. I am looking forward to visiting the other 22!<br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-62162628969874956862014-11-19T23:57:00.001-06:002014-11-19T23:58:07.159-06:00My Drive to VermontContinuing the tale of our New York trip...<br />
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On Tuesday, Danny had to work. That was the purpose of the trip after all. </div>
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I took the opportunity to have a little day trip to Vermont. In order to give myself a destination point, I looked up different hikes in the Green Mountain National Forest. Since I would not have a ton of time I looked for simple hikes. Nature walk is really the best phrase to use. I was alone, so I also looked for more populated nature walks. Not that I dislike being alone, I was trying to error on the side of safety. I found a nature walk that was not too long and well used. It ended up being <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/greenmountain/null/recarea/?recid=64941&actid=50" target="_blank">The Robert Frost Interpretive Trail</a> near Ripton, VT. </div>
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I thought, "an interpretive trail? Really?" I mean, that sounds a little cheesy right? Poetry is a little too much for me sometimes. I decided to go for it though. It had good reviews and was a good way into the state so I would be able to see a large chunk of Vermont. </div>
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Armed with directions and music, I set off on my adventure. Let me tell you something; when people tell you that New England has the best fall color, especially Vermont, they are not exaggerating! The amount of color was almost overwhelming! I fell head-over-heels in love. It was the most beautiful autumn drive I have ever been on. The highway would twist and turn and you would have these views of valleys surrounded by rolling hills with a patchwork of color. I was surrounded by red, oranges, yellows, greens all vibrant and gorgeous. </div>
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Unfortunately some of best views were not from a safe location to take a picture and there were not as many 'stop and look' places as I would have liked. I drove along U.S. 7. </div>
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Along the way I passed through some charming small towns. One town, called Brandon, had these scarecrows outside of every home and building. Even the churches! It looked like a dress-your-own scarecrow thing. It was cute! I really wish I had stopped. I don't know what I was thinking. </div>
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The Robert Frost Interpretive Trail was lovely! It was a super easy nature walk. Along the way some of Robert Frost's poems were posted. I decided that I enjoy poetry about nature. Maybe it's because I get sappy and sentimental about nature? Sometimes poetry is the only way you can describe the beauty and wonder of nature. </div>
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So you know, I have not retouched or edited any of these photos. I love my pictures, but being there in person was amazing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiol2Jp9I2TJpaVy-j_ACePQZ4BLIc60k1dLRjRQsdquQef3bxZmY7wddywdEYMnZvdlJHCr0FHZYVLL5NS-VpVhina5YT3yMWezObUreiNvy2ZHh5Bgjb9T8c8OzSJqyWP5RfVh0FtMHO3/s1600/20141007_124615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiol2Jp9I2TJpaVy-j_ACePQZ4BLIc60k1dLRjRQsdquQef3bxZmY7wddywdEYMnZvdlJHCr0FHZYVLL5NS-VpVhina5YT3yMWezObUreiNvy2ZHh5Bgjb9T8c8OzSJqyWP5RfVh0FtMHO3/s1600/20141007_124615.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little explanation about the trail<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail. I love this leaf.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28CioBey0jFHU0yJG74Y8RzSwf4Fb01rJLHmr21HaaQIrSIdjHJOJQ_gN7JAsqVuz_uJ9ML4KTypFiTNmSohmSeDG5GurQ9hUgij9uqoCpvsaHesOVxceheh2-AIYtff6NwSo7Q7PPT62/s1600/20141007_125434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28CioBey0jFHU0yJG74Y8RzSwf4Fb01rJLHmr21HaaQIrSIdjHJOJQ_gN7JAsqVuz_uJ9ML4KTypFiTNmSohmSeDG5GurQ9hUgij9uqoCpvsaHesOVxceheh2-AIYtff6NwSo7Q7PPT62/s1600/20141007_125434.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail. I love fallen leaves floating in a stream.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the trail. It's somewhere under all the leaves.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuwJf3nvZ4ZfllPktXB6vnz1tKOU8_G_Lt2Is10MEqCh15LuCsp89oFl4RhHwFUqM_G_WkTmYlfF0cONgH1osqtF4CORRqD7V3QQdnrZYFzKFy55YH2cyeCT8iko_VuUwXNVk5GPMjdt6/s1600/20141007_130046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuwJf3nvZ4ZfllPktXB6vnz1tKOU8_G_Lt2Is10MEqCh15LuCsp89oFl4RhHwFUqM_G_WkTmYlfF0cONgH1osqtF4CORRqD7V3QQdnrZYFzKFy55YH2cyeCT8iko_VuUwXNVk5GPMjdt6/s1600/20141007_130046.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This trail is a little further north. I think I just missed the peak of the color when the leaves were still on the trees.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCpq3XNgT1Thcezet5l-JINmDSy-gsdoCbYCQQNF23oD6ifMyxMlX-JSRbVStVV5j8qbAA45D5tb94vlIUAa8_6ppjuI4eaxkPLgmeVM3GkWB2M_nV257ozs95vH5UdLC3KEdriXw-SQJ/s1600/20141007_130144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCpq3XNgT1Thcezet5l-JINmDSy-gsdoCbYCQQNF23oD6ifMyxMlX-JSRbVStVV5j8qbAA45D5tb94vlIUAa8_6ppjuI4eaxkPLgmeVM3GkWB2M_nV257ozs95vH5UdLC3KEdriXw-SQJ/s1600/20141007_130144.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Robert Frost's poems along the trail. Yes, I added the golden leaf.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poems were also presented on wooden posts.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRjUemoYFghkOZBJ7qFiSspIVYF3608VOpNwuylxlqzztPP2NWc-LLkBR-iG2x6-2-AacUQHbshvfCa2M607-fHlmXG99u7e-oUVH0TtNfrXRv_F6EfqCC76MOf88fkj8QRG_xhlSVMLG/s1600/20141007_130604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRjUemoYFghkOZBJ7qFiSspIVYF3608VOpNwuylxlqzztPP2NWc-LLkBR-iG2x6-2-AacUQHbshvfCa2M607-fHlmXG99u7e-oUVH0TtNfrXRv_F6EfqCC76MOf88fkj8QRG_xhlSVMLG/s1600/20141007_130604.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More trees along the trail.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPBE9wqqXvlzfg1p-7JOpmf_qA2dS0-g1hY0W2klR8Rs9iUh2apIlgDMOWjtQuN_gaYRcAELBYe3wzXJYpXvzhSZ0GesnaUudi-ozDPjNZF-A3nC9Rm3WfLgXJJKwjTxXV3Xehr_w-efl/s1600/20141007_130636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPBE9wqqXvlzfg1p-7JOpmf_qA2dS0-g1hY0W2klR8Rs9iUh2apIlgDMOWjtQuN_gaYRcAELBYe3wzXJYpXvzhSZ0GesnaUudi-ozDPjNZF-A3nC9Rm3WfLgXJJKwjTxXV3Xehr_w-efl/s1600/20141007_130636.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the trail.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrICo4Vq4DUMmPEqeBq6WZWPBzVxRa0Fw8GtphPLJaca_8D-5GeLVb54acolpemXGtpxqECtni7489v54f1ZaNVgLMDwrropVUnd0fXuQ57YJUx3ZUN8hy-DMnAq8a0nL_gIlVH7KY5eE/s1600/20141007_130718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrICo4Vq4DUMmPEqeBq6WZWPBzVxRa0Fw8GtphPLJaca_8D-5GeLVb54acolpemXGtpxqECtni7489v54f1ZaNVgLMDwrropVUnd0fXuQ57YJUx3ZUN8hy-DMnAq8a0nL_gIlVH7KY5eE/s1600/20141007_130718.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture turned out slightly mysterious looking. What do you think?<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBUndXLDnF6x1jSvSCpe6JliMH7ULEKg7PxZbRhvkMIP-nnBGr__pL_TsFGsER0Cli9HffK9i7T5ZcAy6aDCUOMtBvpzIyAqDrTfOTtxGGpt1zdV99Jizy3g0CtNhu0osRoKRJF-JlxZ3/s1600/20141007_131026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBUndXLDnF6x1jSvSCpe6JliMH7ULEKg7PxZbRhvkMIP-nnBGr__pL_TsFGsER0Cli9HffK9i7T5ZcAy6aDCUOMtBvpzIyAqDrTfOTtxGGpt1zdV99Jizy3g0CtNhu0osRoKRJF-JlxZ3/s1600/20141007_131026.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow leaves might be my favorite. If it's possibly to choose a favorite.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyeEPgb7Fzrq6BaUtyDhevBahCpfSYCT1PNU4qhEd9xNS-hYb6RQz6ztYCO3Vo_MM3QsrRgIFaX4xGL8CEiZbI6E_hMuvc9PjtziVheJwvPfCO9wxo6rQAC9vlMx96a5Oz8WaxOXuZb2k/s1600/20141007_132917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyeEPgb7Fzrq6BaUtyDhevBahCpfSYCT1PNU4qhEd9xNS-hYb6RQz6ztYCO3Vo_MM3QsrRgIFaX4xGL8CEiZbI6E_hMuvc9PjtziVheJwvPfCO9wxo6rQAC9vlMx96a5Oz8WaxOXuZb2k/s1600/20141007_132917.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the path was a dirt trail. The beginning/end had wooden planks or gravel.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWT4jJWC2zjOVFN5a6d6k9TzpazFj0SSkd7qsLVjsXZ-VrG6mfKBqDKVDLJyvXU1iclmno0n6OmXQaGUqcFk47mkAwqb39o3RtvCoZk_5mxGI-yo-d3pBnKUc1Imj7QfDWjFORbzNRmCi/s1600/20141007_133034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWT4jJWC2zjOVFN5a6d6k9TzpazFj0SSkd7qsLVjsXZ-VrG6mfKBqDKVDLJyvXU1iclmno0n6OmXQaGUqcFk47mkAwqb39o3RtvCoZk_5mxGI-yo-d3pBnKUc1Imj7QfDWjFORbzNRmCi/s1600/20141007_133034.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More yellow leaves.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wQLk5mRbQ8-NG8PSs4Lr5u3TUkVfSo0ScK_mxwsh0UAyUTZtW-2fEUGYHbUzzYPB_SWnKzbdwHmEayS0Fqtg_bWWmtuW2r_NtwVRsq5SjV3QlxWGm-jKBNwx5cnsiVztIZOPynM0Ap2t/s1600/20141007_133111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wQLk5mRbQ8-NG8PSs4Lr5u3TUkVfSo0ScK_mxwsh0UAyUTZtW-2fEUGYHbUzzYPB_SWnKzbdwHmEayS0Fqtg_bWWmtuW2r_NtwVRsq5SjV3QlxWGm-jKBNwx5cnsiVztIZOPynM0Ap2t/s1600/20141007_133111.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I'm leaving the trail, I looked back and saw this lovely scene.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5BW9fYTGF0QLKSjdrgYtGZ78y1C14LMJU5NrSabxrNFowTuG0vU0JDyBvMS0oKK3oa8xhkbFD7m2FwRMrtmD4Ej9gfhLTROvuoqMsdiwkg_9UhBFdMio3p8neJwKx1zOKQpy1w_a3XVR/s1600/20141007_135133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5BW9fYTGF0QLKSjdrgYtGZ78y1C14LMJU5NrSabxrNFowTuG0vU0JDyBvMS0oKK3oa8xhkbFD7m2FwRMrtmD4Ej9gfhLTROvuoqMsdiwkg_9UhBFdMio3p8neJwKx1zOKQpy1w_a3XVR/s1600/20141007_135133.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off of 125 near Ripton. There's a waterfall in the bottom center.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK0rR1Rrvs_Hll-N7QyA9sE-DCynEnUPEVDt0K2STGCg8JoN1057VOaB5pGOMFqATkkaD_lZVQH7zRuRoM0yW5zpjzY29v9wBILlqKBFMAGe7hud-K-7FLGAyM9FFX9VjKfd4ZdANh1Z4/s1600/20141007_135150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK0rR1Rrvs_Hll-N7QyA9sE-DCynEnUPEVDt0K2STGCg8JoN1057VOaB5pGOMFqATkkaD_lZVQH7zRuRoM0yW5zpjzY29v9wBILlqKBFMAGe7hud-K-7FLGAyM9FFX9VjKfd4ZdANh1Z4/s1600/20141007_135150.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of 125 near Ripton. I need to drive this again.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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The trail only took about an hour and then I drove back to our hotel in Troy. </div>
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I did not stop for maple syrup. I sort of regret that, even though I would not have been able to carry a bottle home on the plane. I still should have stopped. Oh well. That means I just need to go back to Vermont in the autumn time, right? Right. </div>
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Vermont was beautiful. I am so happy I was able to take that day trip. </div>
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Danny and I had dinner together at a New York style pizza place that kids on campus recommended to him. It was pretty good. After pizza we went to an ice cream place called Friendly's. I had a delicious sundae full of chocolate and goodness and peace and love.</div>
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I will continue my travel tales in a third post...Look for it tomorrow...</div>
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Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-45208797314742361862014-11-19T21:22:00.000-06:002014-12-05T21:24:33.321-06:00I 'Heart' NYTime to take another stab at this whole blogging thing. To start things off, let's talk about a fun trip!<br />
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As part of his job, Danny had an assignment to help the recruiting team at his company with college visits and job fairs. Danny helped coordinate and set up events and interviews with soon-to-be college grads. His favorite part was actually visiting the colleges and talking to the students at career fairs. Danny went to Texas A&M, University of Texas, Oklahoma University, Texas Christian University, University of North Texas and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).<br />
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The last school, RPI, is located in Troy, NY. Guess who got to tag along? I did! Danny's company did not have any issues with it. So we paid for my plane ticket and I <i>finally</i> visited the north-east!<br />
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Can I tell you how much I loved this trip? If you said no, you might want to stop reading right here because that's pretty much what the rest of this post will be about.<br />
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We flew up on Sunday with a lay over in Chicago. As we flew into Chicago I had a lovely view of Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago. I have been itching to go to Chicago so that was a pretty exciting bonus of the trip. Obviously, I still want to go to Chicago because, as awesome as it was, flying over it doesn't really count.<br />
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Danny's work events did not begin until Monday evening so we took a side trip to Palmyra, NY. Palmyra is where Joseph Smith and his family lived when he received the <a href="http://www.mormon.org/faq/the-first-vision" target="_blank"> first vision</a> and translated the Book of Mormon. We visited the <a href="https://www.lds.org/locations/smith-family-farm" target="_blank">Smith Farmhouse</a>, <a href="https://www.lds.org/locations/sacred-grove" target="_blank">Sacred Grove</a>, <a href="https://www.lds.org/locations/book-of-mormon-publication-site-grandin-building" target="_blank">Book of Mormon publishing site</a>, and the <a href="https://www.lds.org/locations/hill-cumorah-visitors-center" target="_blank">Hill Cumorah</a>.<br />
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I am completely fascinated by history. To visit these places that I have learned about for as long as I can remember was exciting, to say the least. Being able to stand in a place that is so central and important to the history of my religion left me feeling awestruck and humbled. So combine that with my love of history in general and you'll realize I transformed into a big-ball-of-giddy-dorkiness that poor Danny had to deal with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyDbAvZzpgm1hyhZQh3RufMtTEtDd6ohwx639uYF-TUtLORTAcGFB7op7-8QOI1tPlK_1b0lxTArHRuMkpoZcfYZOjYNQ0A22ZIy9bNIiymYwQyrmqrSQlttzAdEGr5j1KfyoZYw2A2t0/s1600/20141006_105318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyDbAvZzpgm1hyhZQh3RufMtTEtDd6ohwx639uYF-TUtLORTAcGFB7op7-8QOI1tPlK_1b0lxTArHRuMkpoZcfYZOjYNQ0A22ZIy9bNIiymYwQyrmqrSQlttzAdEGr5j1KfyoZYw2A2t0/s1600/20141006_105318.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking towards the Sacred Grove from the Smith Family Farmhouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY-v-kBR23LDBhUTr52Yo4Mbe3o0s1zFd0xJ4iKibidq0HrGqAkqmFgZndBPkG9ZPZUU4Ra4Yl37PqHqh2P2q0VVm5MQOQhtS9QkW8KfFkDwO2OE3-w8byi3fhkUpEArlyicCWZB_arLY/s1600/20141006_115409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY-v-kBR23LDBhUTr52Yo4Mbe3o0s1zFd0xJ4iKibidq0HrGqAkqmFgZndBPkG9ZPZUU4Ra4Yl37PqHqh2P2q0VVm5MQOQhtS9QkW8KfFkDwO2OE3-w8byi3fhkUpEArlyicCWZB_arLY/s1600/20141006_115409.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E.B. Grandin Publishing office. The first copies of the Book of Mormon were published here. In downtown Palmyra.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7C0a6Qvnc4v0J2JHnKNuORSCcsAEtIkb3jmSuiY-0cBR-khuckot3XZgHmiykaR2C303YCY8hncCvsmWFvTYq1lqSltMlsSrFe0Yhx1B1_5gAkHBQilriUfwJdLh_oG1U8lhZFrrBMCu/s1600/20141006_124824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7C0a6Qvnc4v0J2JHnKNuORSCcsAEtIkb3jmSuiY-0cBR-khuckot3XZgHmiykaR2C303YCY8hncCvsmWFvTYq1lqSltMlsSrFe0Yhx1B1_5gAkHBQilriUfwJdLh_oG1U8lhZFrrBMCu/s1600/20141006_124824.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the reliefs at the base of the Hill Cumorah monument. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5tIjXy8cwPKmx_QA81FZCN8x1VvRqpGxDxCn5eJlcaklpRGLjjfPiC1TdZ9Gvo95Lw_50cGtw_Z5ZxUnxrdUq8pAnQWDLzTsFfDkmkSP2xXx8b9iAykUPjtTdNbo0Q7BmmQBKZO7fEih/s1600/20141006_124837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5tIjXy8cwPKmx_QA81FZCN8x1VvRqpGxDxCn5eJlcaklpRGLjjfPiC1TdZ9Gvo95Lw_50cGtw_Z5ZxUnxrdUq8pAnQWDLzTsFfDkmkSP2xXx8b9iAykUPjtTdNbo0Q7BmmQBKZO7fEih/s1600/20141006_124837.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely view from the top of Hill Cumorah</td></tr>
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After our adventures in Palmyra, Danny drove a little out of the way so I can say hello to a great lake. We stopped in the middle of a lake front neighborhood so I could look over Lake Ontario. I felt like I was standing at the ocean. There was nothing in front of me but water and sky and a row of Canada geese (we assumed they were patrolling the border between US/Canada). The lake was beautiful and blue and much clearer than lakes in Texas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEKxohuLvPTKS9-M060cL33zP9YZ97PviaVIbfJlYrWqjKQqKg7gNAB-6GYEtlhwaW__fcuN2ZI1Qwgr_pbFVDTa7yVg3tr8Au5_wteAiTXTWcl0q2UXN9J4-cQl5bCDb5GCrhIkLtIOa/s1600/20141006_134750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEKxohuLvPTKS9-M060cL33zP9YZ97PviaVIbfJlYrWqjKQqKg7gNAB-6GYEtlhwaW__fcuN2ZI1Qwgr_pbFVDTa7yVg3tr8Au5_wteAiTXTWcl0q2UXN9J4-cQl5bCDb5GCrhIkLtIOa/s1600/20141006_134750.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Ontario. The brownish splotch on the water in the middle of the picture is the group of border patrol geese.</td></tr>
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It was time to start heading back to Troy. We drove through lovely towns and passed so many apple orchards full of apples. We stopped at a farmer's market for lunch and ate homemade apple sauce made on the premises with the apples from their orchard. It was the best applesauce I have ever eaten. We bought a small container of it to eat during the rest of our trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVcdM8-vIgn-FyStQzp5f2FZhzde3qVKcLQX3j1eeyS2X6W9X3D2AuB1wxISPWEvmj8WTMPAXXxiZc4iQzNIEmc2-sOiohEFg4fQyYA6zQZ6iOZnwtK2vAZo4w6QQdd7QTkF3L1Du1AL2/s1600/20141006_144620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVcdM8-vIgn-FyStQzp5f2FZhzde3qVKcLQX3j1eeyS2X6W9X3D2AuB1wxISPWEvmj8WTMPAXXxiZc4iQzNIEmc2-sOiohEFg4fQyYA6zQZ6iOZnwtK2vAZo4w6QQdd7QTkF3L1Du1AL2/s1600/20141006_144620.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where Danny and I stopped for lunch. Dang good applesauce.</td></tr>
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Monday evening Danny had a dinner to attend. I opted to hang around the hotel and get ready for the next day's adventure. Which I will talk about in a new post because this one is already quite long.<br />
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Now onto my next post...Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-34875060739749240752012-08-10T00:36:00.001-05:002012-08-10T00:49:15.632-05:00Commit-"mint"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Recently I made some teacher appreciation goodie bags. I went with an idea I had seen on <a href="http://pinterest.com/calib/" target="_blank">Pinterest. </a>Here is the information on <a href="http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2010/05/inexpensive-yet-meaningful-teacher-gift/" target="_blank">Beneath My Heart</a>.</div>
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The idea was to give each teacher a little treat to thank them for their commitment to teaching the Primary children at church. Each teacher was given a goodie bag and some reminders/pointers to help them with their teaching. I volunteered to make the goodie bags and here is the result:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNruOeHqa6ZAa5n4jeddJZWw0y3ccaAadRZQFOkCw1zHJvz3WUmwp-HHtrdTpr3qVEqrkGm38VWHVEdl8dyjO45s6YyyLBqldxx2J1bkyJZWdmKpGk_DybeLklnmX7bXINxZYlbCeqYew5/s1600/IMG_20120728_182023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNruOeHqa6ZAa5n4jeddJZWw0y3ccaAadRZQFOkCw1zHJvz3WUmwp-HHtrdTpr3qVEqrkGm38VWHVEdl8dyjO45s6YyyLBqldxx2J1bkyJZWdmKpGk_DybeLklnmX7bXINxZYlbCeqYew5/s320/IMG_20120728_182023.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you for your commit-"mint" tag</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAONL9ick4a-rZHLn1AFZK12IArzfiYfYxWt7Z_OoNCu828FbLdhsLlGf0i32BQJ7zTHQBvLa1-oAigRqekjZ2JWAM5RFzYU3hjmmmARbfKqJJYNFzCnxGvhuIALAiGXwf3RLOrFW27duT/s1600/IMG_20120728_182035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAONL9ick4a-rZHLn1AFZK12IArzfiYfYxWt7Z_OoNCu828FbLdhsLlGf0i32BQJ7zTHQBvLa1-oAigRqekjZ2JWAM5RFzYU3hjmmmARbfKqJJYNFzCnxGvhuIALAiGXwf3RLOrFW27duT/s320/IMG_20120728_182035.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yummy mint candies</td></tr>
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Each bag contained Andes mints, York peppermint patties, some Lifesaver wintergreen hard candies, and regular peppermint hard candies. <br />
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Oh, and I totally made that tag all by myself. I was very pleased with how it turned out. I think the scrapbook paper gives the tag a nice touch.<br />
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All in all I am happy with this little project. I thoroughly enjoyed making them! <br />
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On a side note, the Lifesaver wintergreen mints are quite potent. They smell so strong. When I opened the bag I unleashed an intense force of mint smell. Which, as far as smells go, was no big deal, but the strength of the wintergreen smell was surprising. I wonder if the Lifesavers wreaked havoc with the other mints in the goodie bags. <br />
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Other side note:<br />
My church has an organization for children ages 3 through 11 called Primary. The children are divided into classes based on their ages. Primary consists of a portion when they are divided into their age group class and taught by a teacher and a second portion when they are combined with other classes and have singing time. It is the teachers of these individual classes that we gave these goodie bags to.<br />
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Also, there is a Primary Presidency that helps run the Primary program at a very local level. I am the secretary. That is how I fit into the picture. Just in case anyone was wondering.<br />
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I realized I threw some terms out there that might be unfamiliar to people. I do that from time to time. If I ever do that again, and you need to know what on earth I am talking about, feel free to ask.<br />
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Other other side note:<br />
Word plays make me chuckle. Commit-mint. Good one.Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-18426896110196310792012-07-29T22:21:00.000-05:002012-07-29T22:33:44.995-05:00Alone in DislikeWe all have different tastes and opinions about the world around us. Sometimes you can find several people that like or dislike the same things you do. Other times, you stand alone in your opinions.<br />
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Now, you might think I am going to expound some deep thoughts over here about standing for your beliefs, but I am not. I am going to talk about a few things that I do not like, maybe even hate, that everyone else seems to love. <br />
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I was thinking about it the other day and thought, I should blog about this because I need to update my blog. I also like to inflict the world with my opinions. Feel free to insert an evil laugh right here.<br />
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Okay, here is a list of things I do not like that everyone else I come into contact with seems to like or love.<br />
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1. egg rolls<br />
-I have never really enjoyed egg rolls. I do not know why. <br />
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2. pears<br />
-pears are a sad and disgusting excuse for a fruit. <br />
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3. cookies with dried fruit in them<br />
-oatmeal raisin cookies were invented by evil people.<br />
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4. the band Green Day<br />
-I do not really get into their music. I never have.<br />
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5. Frisbee related sports<br />
-I know, they seem cool, but Ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee golf have never held any appeal for me. There are other sports I love and would much rather play (volleyball, basketball, and soccer)<br />
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6. Romeo and Juliet<br />
-I love Shakespeare. He wrote some splendid things, but I can not get behind Romeo and Juliet.<br />
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7. The French language<br />
-No offense! I love French literature and art, especially from the 19th century. When it comes to hearing a foreign language though, French is not my favorite. I only include it on this list because it seems like a requirement that every girl should love French.<br />
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8. Coca-Cola/Diet Coke<br />
-Way back in the day I used to like Coke, but I really do not anymore. It tastes gross to me.<br />
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All of the things on this list are things I feel "out of place" for not liking. Do not worry, I do not think any less of you for liking them. If anything you could think less of me for not liking these things. Ha!<br />
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Apparently this list is subject to change. Up until a few months ago, pepperoni would have been on this list. I tried it again though and it was good! I enjoy pepperoni on pizza now.<br />
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What things are on your dislike list? I think it is interesting. The little things people dislike, and like, are what make them unique. Everyone dislikes famine (I hope), but not everyone dislikes Coca-Cola! Feel free to comment about it.<br />
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Speaking of comments, the comments on this blog are sent to me for approval before they are posted. I did this because I made the blog public and I was not sure what will happen with that. I will publish any comment so long as it is not disrespectful or inappropriate. If you do not see your comment publish immediately, do not worry. I need to approve it first is all. I might change that setting down the line. For now it works. Please do not let that intimidate you from commenting. I love comments!<br />
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Also, I realize that this post seems rather pessimistic because it is all about disliking things. I will do a post of things I like. It might be long though. I like a lot more things than what I dislike. <br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-9450553542344319232012-06-18T23:17:00.000-05:002012-06-18T23:17:00.950-05:00I'm a Deep SleeperWhat follows is an actual story from the life of Cali & Danny.<br />
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Around noon the phone rings and I answer. I am surprised to hear Danny's voice. He does not usually call me during the day while he is at work. Here is the conversation:<br />
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Danny: Hello.<br />
Cali: Hi! What's up? You don't usually call during the day. <br />
Danny: I just wanted to tell you that I love you.<br />
Cali: Thanks, I love you too.<br />
(I paused because it seemed like he was going to say more.)<br />
Danny: How is your face feeling?<br />
Cali: (thinking, what the heck weirdo question?) It's fine. Why?<br />
Danny: I might have accidentally hit your face with my elbow this morning.<br />
Cali: What? When?<br />
Danny: Early this morning. I was moving around and I somehow hit your face.<br />
Cali: You elbowed me in the face? I don't remember anything about that. Did I react at all?<br />
Danny: No. You didn't even make a noise or shift around or anything.<br />
Cali: Great. Did you elbow my face hard?<br />
Danny: It was pretty hard. I am surprised it didn't wake you up.<br />
Cali: Well, no worries I guess. I don't have any marks on my face or anything.<br />
Our conversation then veers towards lunch because it was lunch time. <br />
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I have known for a while that I can sleep ridiculously deep. Sometimes it concerns me and this is one of those times. My husband accidentally hits me in the face hard enough for him to be concerned and to call me during the day (he usually texts, but an actual phone call is rare) and I did not even react about the hit. Crazy! <br />
<br />I am also known to sleep through severe thunder storms and tornado sirens. Seriously, there have been several storms that I only knew about because people were talking about them the next day and there were broken tree branches all over the place.<br />
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Most of the time being able to sleep so soundly is fantastic. However, I do wonder how it is possible to sleep so deeply that I do not realize I get hit on the face. <br />
The only explanation I can come up with is that I actually die every night and come back to life every morning. That is possible, right?<br />
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And now, I think I am off to see how deep I can sleep tonight. I'm sure it will be unfathomable. <br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-13312130302111835192012-06-06T02:36:00.000-05:002012-06-06T02:36:21.823-05:00Present DayHello! If you are just tuning in, I had an 11 month gap in my blog that I decided to be crazy and make up for. The posts will make the most sense if you start with the post called, <a href="http://loveandwarintexafornia.blogspot.com/2012/06/well-here-i-am-again-after-another-year.html" target="_blank">Hello Again!</a> and work your way back through August 2011, September 2011 and so on until this post.<br />
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After this post you should be able to continue reading this blog as normally as possible.<br />
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I know I have said this before, but I mean it this time! I really want to do better about updating this thing! So please, if it has been a while (a month) please someone remind me and fuss at me to update the blog.<br />
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I think writing in a blog will be fun. I am also trying to do more crafts and organize things. As I do, I can blog about it! That is exciting, right?<br />
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I read through all of my old entries. I enjoyed it. I find it ironic that I blogged more frequently while I was a busy student then I do now when I am not a student and not as busy.<br />
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You may notice that I changed the picture in the upper right hand corner. I realized that Danny and I have been married nearly 5 years. It is time for something a bit more recent. This picture was taking before we moved from Utah to Texas in December of 2010. I think it is when we had our own little Christmas 12 days early before we packed all of our things up to move. Danny and I do not have too many good pictures of us together. We should fix that.<br />
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I am also going to make this blog public. If having a public blog freaks me out, I will go back to private. We shall see.<br />
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I am back in the blogging world! But now, it is time for me to go to sleep. I was so determined to finish these posts that I stayed up too late. Oops!<br />
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-53107766646777609082012-06-06T02:24:00.004-05:002012-06-06T02:24:54.634-05:00Welcome to 2012!We have now traveled to 2012!<br />
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I am going to summarize what has happened so far this year. I do not have as many pictures for this stuff. (you're thinking, "thank goodness!" ha ha)<br />
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January 2012:<br />
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I really can not think of much that happened in January. I feel like I was sick most of that month with a cold or allergies or both. My head was not my friend!<br />
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I began working with the primary presidency at church. The primary is for children ages 3-11. It includes Sunday school lessons, and singing time. I am the secretary so I am the keeper of all things roster related. I absolutely love it! The kids are all so much fun! I enjoy the ladies that I serve with too! <br />
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February 2012:<br />
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Danny had a birthday! I made him meatloaf, fried okra, mashed potatoes, and lemon cake. I decorated the table with purple and star wars things that he already had. We did not have a party. He did enjoy the meal and decorations though! <br />
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March 2012:<br />
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My great-great aunt Mildred passed away. She lived in Tennessee. My dad decided he would attend the funeral and he invited me along. <br />
Thursday: Dad calls and tells me Mildred passed away.<br />
Friday: Dad calls and tells me he decided to go to the funeral that is on Sunday. He invites me to go with him. I say yes and then remember I should talk to Danny about it first. Danny is on board with it so I say yes for real.<br />
Saturday: Dad and I drive to Memphis and stay the night there. We had Memphis BBQ. They used a lot of paprika!<br />
Sunday: We had breakfast at Waffle House and drove the rest of the way to Lawrenceburg, TN. We made good time getting to Lawrenceburg so Dad and I drove around Davy Crockett State Park. I saw the creek where a great injustice in my childhood occurred. We attend the funeral. It was as nice as a funeral can be. I met a bunch of Tennessee family that I had never met before. The ladies from Mildred's church cooked a luncheon for the family (delicious!). Next, Dad and I drove to Mildred's home and get a super old (over 150 years) bed frame to take to my Grammie in Arizona. Then we go back to Davy Crockett State Park to right the injustice.<br />
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When I was 7 and we still lived in Arizona, my mom, dad, grammie (dad's mom), brother, and I went to Tennessee. During that trip we went to Davy Crockett State Park. Dad remembered this creek from when he was a kid and for old time sake, took off his shoes and went wading in the water. I have had a life long love for water and I wanted to join in the fun. My mom would not let me. She said (and was probably right) that I would end up falling in. We did not have extra clothes or towels with us at the time. So there was my dad wading in a creek and I did not get to. Remember, I was 7. I don't think I got too upset. I'm sure something distracted me soon enough. But I always remember that event and think how funny it was that there was my dad acting like a little kid, and me, the actual little kid at the time, did not get to play in the water. Well, we had some time after everything and so before we drove back to Memphis, Dad and I stopped at the creek and I took off my shoes and waded in the water a little bit. A wrong was made right. <br />
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What makes this even better, I was in a dress. Luckily, I did not slip and fall so I was okay and my dress was okay. Also, when Dad and I were moving the 150 year old bed frame, I was rocking my purple converse with an olive green dress. I knew we were going to have to move some furniture so I brought something besides my heels along with me. It is okay to be a little jealous of my fashion sense. Wow, I can hear the eyes rolling from here! <br />
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After the fun at Davy Crockett State Park, Dad and I drove back to Memphis.<br />
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Monday: Woke up super early and drove back to Dallas. I felt like I had not even left even though so much happened in those couple of days!<br />
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My aunt Mildred led a good, long, and full life. The funeral was sad but not in a depressing way. It was lovely to meet family and I had fun road tripping with my dad. I am glad I went.<br />
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April 2012:<br />
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I do not have the pictures sorted for this trip yet, but I will post a few later.<br />
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My mom, brother, his wife, and I drove to Arizona to surprise my Grandpa (mom's dad) for his 80th birthday. The surprise was a success and we had a great time. I was in charge of decorations for the party. Of course I loved doing that!<br />
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My brother, Jenn (his wife), and I drove down to Mesa area to visit my dad's side of the family. It was so good to see that family too! One of my cousins had been in a very severe long boarding accident the week before we were in Arizona. We were able to visit him in the hospital. Thankfully, he made a very speedy recovery and is okay. The family had quite a scare though!!<br />
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All in all the trip to Arizona was great! It was hard seeing my cousin so injured, but we saw him improving while we were there and that was amazing! I loved visiting with all my family that was there. I just adore all of my grandparents! As a bonus, we ate some very delicious food too. <br />
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May 2012:<br />
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Danny began serving as a Family History consultant with church. He is pretty excited about this! His job is to help educate and help guide people with working on their family history. He is also working on his own family history.<br />
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And, welcome back to the present!Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-77722582692784781262012-06-06T01:40:00.000-05:002012-06-06T01:40:15.444-05:00November - December 2011Welcome to November 2011!<br />
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This month was a bit more quiet. Danny was still going to Oklahoma. On November 15h, Danny's brother Erick came to visit us! He flew into the Austin airport because it was a ton cheaper for some reason. My dad and I drove down to pick him up. We also ate some tasty BBQ while we were down that way.<br />
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It was fun to have Erick visit us! Danny and Erick spent a lot of time playing video games, as is their custom. We also showed him around a little bit. Erick and I trekked over to the Fort Worth Zoo. I had never been there. It is a nice zoo! I saw penguins cuddling.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabCQR9QnURlbNm0Ns64Q1CVFrmqC1eoLLAAGNt_xMJOX-dblZTXPZ6KV2yt7BEzuH6ZPtAQZzUJbF6_LO7nBSC_A2oTcIBKtmyUWaUVFOG4o8mrPAGjhGaWrV6aTtw9fNpoRva2JsmNFz/s1600/DSCN4104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabCQR9QnURlbNm0Ns64Q1CVFrmqC1eoLLAAGNt_xMJOX-dblZTXPZ6KV2yt7BEzuH6ZPtAQZzUJbF6_LO7nBSC_A2oTcIBKtmyUWaUVFOG4o8mrPAGjhGaWrV6aTtw9fNpoRva2JsmNFz/s320/DSCN4104.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two penguins that are laying down are totally cuddling. Adorable.</td></tr>
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Thanksgiving was also in November. I do not think we have any pictures from that. The food was really good! I made a sweet potato dish that is my great-great aunt's recipe. There was so much butter and sugar in that dish! I knew it was going to be yummy, and it was. It tasted like candy.<br />
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Welcome to December 2011!<br />
Erick left at the beginning of December. <br />
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A couple of weeks later Danny and I flew out to California to be with his family for Christmas. My favorite part of the trip was Disneyland! Danny and I treated his siblings to a Disneyland trip for Christmas and we all had a lovely-stupendous time. Best part was riding the new Star Tours! Also, I am very fond of the Indiana Jones ride.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chip & Dale </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo1oxxHulrSqz6uOf2NFHbl0ZXYtxG6C19DbyFPsx47KZFPmFWnv0fJYiI4eeUJrU-gJZpepHO19kSO_WC7n354BEisgySiI0l_Gg3IMi6XyNs5RNwFeS5RgkUWs_PORHcjIwfcIrsyY9/s1600/423573_10150560517325036_1491682480_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo1oxxHulrSqz6uOf2NFHbl0ZXYtxG6C19DbyFPsx47KZFPmFWnv0fJYiI4eeUJrU-gJZpepHO19kSO_WC7n354BEisgySiI0l_Gg3IMi6XyNs5RNwFeS5RgkUWs_PORHcjIwfcIrsyY9/s320/423573_10150560517325036_1491682480_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huey, Dewey, & Louie (Danny and his brothers)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKKBLljitwTZP62szT0akUatsaY3IsbnPBST_MMp9e9F4ufF28NlD9GYGZ7rqTqohXFNzuSt4ZhWPzGzVTJLqLoE9Pkd5bJUmvoopWZrLN5cpjzNUxTsLJpVoM-Lr-GszFb2G6KDbAvfL/s1600/403332_10150560517810036_1168033216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKKBLljitwTZP62szT0akUatsaY3IsbnPBST_MMp9e9F4ufF28NlD9GYGZ7rqTqohXFNzuSt4ZhWPzGzVTJLqLoE9Pkd5bJUmvoopWZrLN5cpjzNUxTsLJpVoM-Lr-GszFb2G6KDbAvfL/s320/403332_10150560517810036_1168033216_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 princesses (Danny's little sis, Aurora, and me)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoOMpdLnq9m9Lz_YRDeW-Y4KymeCcVby2TYCArifWwBQcA_CYNk7-CQFEcPzwUJ9TbeWbFNmvVdf-dTUTB4biE0gPVrf95IshjCkpmMjJ4qt_Gcva3bhRXy9IRQbL5VeNSX_21LN0t7Bp/s1600/405419_10150560518460036_409538912_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoOMpdLnq9m9Lz_YRDeW-Y4KymeCcVby2TYCArifWwBQcA_CYNk7-CQFEcPzwUJ9TbeWbFNmvVdf-dTUTB4biE0gPVrf95IshjCkpmMjJ4qt_Gcva3bhRXy9IRQbL5VeNSX_21LN0t7Bp/s320/405419_10150560518460036_409538912_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny is not the future King of England</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50h-dBYq7HK4db4nB-rzcUM45gwPlBcn4os_X7LFDwbARXLMhdxTDk5OREOuMs0A5TqTpiYYQBLcNgSzjCELpimk_ak5OPfAviMsd7fqmReHo5-FAJnQYr6-VXl2I1AwCfAqdt8fNSuBW/s1600/426893_10150560518350036_1196261345_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50h-dBYq7HK4db4nB-rzcUM45gwPlBcn4os_X7LFDwbARXLMhdxTDk5OREOuMs0A5TqTpiYYQBLcNgSzjCELpimk_ak5OPfAviMsd7fqmReHo5-FAJnQYr6-VXl2I1AwCfAqdt8fNSuBW/s320/426893_10150560518350036_1196261345_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neither am I. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10fTG0C5jujKXAtFwDkLADx8J-B2NV-fCZLl9e01aryqb4XNyXjAQ_DZElerJQwlCQbtKGuCRkCmL0kUYbCrkCTqgnwH77CM2bwoKQDpaCUKUNBqPNcR59yq7oVhelgZVtdZ3xLQ_fwEf/s1600/430618_10150560518925036_514810035_8991254_153646677_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10fTG0C5jujKXAtFwDkLADx8J-B2NV-fCZLl9e01aryqb4XNyXjAQ_DZElerJQwlCQbtKGuCRkCmL0kUYbCrkCTqgnwH77CM2bwoKQDpaCUKUNBqPNcR59yq7oVhelgZVtdZ3xLQ_fwEf/s320/430618_10150560518925036_514810035_8991254_153646677_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ian, Storm Trooper, and Danny. The Storm Trooper did not like Danny's shirt. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMDgn9iyRayIcIgeOXhHExEVJGJP88UCxtxVoyZZPBfXe00qZmhCHXLSXRvzizZ97gqD7t77d67h_dsKIue0eCfQ-baRD0nLRdhFy8lsJep_-vR6TIv2Vp8bqZEtsNw3O0sSKULDSRMfO/s1600/401546_10150560519400036_514810035_8991261_1137641812_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMDgn9iyRayIcIgeOXhHExEVJGJP88UCxtxVoyZZPBfXe00qZmhCHXLSXRvzizZ97gqD7t77d67h_dsKIue0eCfQ-baRD0nLRdhFy8lsJep_-vR6TIv2Vp8bqZEtsNw3O0sSKULDSRMfO/s320/401546_10150560519400036_514810035_8991261_1137641812_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">The
Bakker Bro Battle Pack. Comes with everything you see here. Vehicles
sold separately. Batteries not included. Ages 15 and up. (Danny came up with that) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkkNKJIdlfJDBeSPfl4RG72aIj8nFMFEMo453l7vocxZRgH1Ira2fuuuC-Eo3VTiY1henMm6aWIxAfxeC6mim-lKX5vIVKWW-jfyU1CAQf8ib20YuTkd9pltVh7jfEVhb426sF-GLD35E/s1600/421773_10150560519460036_471014470_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkkNKJIdlfJDBeSPfl4RG72aIj8nFMFEMo453l7vocxZRgH1Ira2fuuuC-Eo3VTiY1henMm6aWIxAfxeC6mim-lKX5vIVKWW-jfyU1CAQf8ib20YuTkd9pltVh7jfEVhb426sF-GLD35E/s320/421773_10150560519460036_471014470_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">Bakker Sister exclusive limited edition collector's pack. Best to keep these two mint in the box.</span><div class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList">
<span class="fcg"> </span>(by: Danny)</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb-jiwwx29Lyjmu84xAwFc2-jwrXQadChJP8wbfOkh7fECz6hyTv55nh0egNnvJCUs4VIl1Hv_UsECTQ2f7ZY2zZb61TuslezgH6sok5QDlm4XArH31IvM_NFlEHZThbLwBfn_vZDSwHV/s1600/402037_10150560520015036_1144950685_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb-jiwwx29Lyjmu84xAwFc2-jwrXQadChJP8wbfOkh7fECz6hyTv55nh0egNnvJCUs4VIl1Hv_UsECTQ2f7ZY2zZb61TuslezgH6sok5QDlm4XArH31IvM_NFlEHZThbLwBfn_vZDSwHV/s320/402037_10150560520015036_1144950685_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not a great picture, sorry. But here is Main Street all lit up for Christmas!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzS1YKuxMUZlwc0icrxoRYN39QTwSLbP0ICgWsATX8hiAkI0UbCHbpvVaDIsN_9ogurJ4Fqhp3fc9fnRDqohSSLzayFeLqtqglYxAW_JkRb1YoWrIBkHo3fhMk_1fwMRPT3XK9IVWGyQ4/s1600/420964_10150560519900036_1850541869_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzS1YKuxMUZlwc0icrxoRYN39QTwSLbP0ICgWsATX8hiAkI0UbCHbpvVaDIsN_9ogurJ4Fqhp3fc9fnRDqohSSLzayFeLqtqglYxAW_JkRb1YoWrIBkHo3fhMk_1fwMRPT3XK9IVWGyQ4/s320/420964_10150560519900036_1850541869_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Castle all lit up for Christmas! (again, sorry about the picture quality)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Also in California we saw two sets of friends that we had not seen since our April trip to Utah and it was grand and wonderful to see them! It is always fun to see Danny's family too! <br />
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In our time travels we have caught up to 2012. Let us continue on!Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-14952956576218286102012-06-06T01:11:00.000-05:002012-06-06T01:11:57.181-05:00October 2011Hi there! Welcome to October 2011. This month was BUSY! Danny and I had something going on pretty much every weekend. Good times.<br />
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This one will have quite a few pictures so I will do most of my explaining in photo caption form. Here is the run down of events:<br />
1. Star Wars Fan Days in Irving, TX<br />
2. My birthday<br />
3. Pariveda Company retreat near Austin, TX<br />
4. Halloween<br />
One of the best months ever? Possibly.<br />
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Picture time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgV6FVNoaGxH0jMAIgpN2Wt2EnUa-GggOiNIkUgsO_yC7j34t-WvHR_M08P54BDk_6oOk6m7UteZaxJLixxEgwSHPHdat_5P3mOCbUc-wtgdHhI2L-8h7c3ztzp5inH7U2F2XlbmHptEI/s1600/IMG_20111008_102852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgV6FVNoaGxH0jMAIgpN2Wt2EnUa-GggOiNIkUgsO_yC7j34t-WvHR_M08P54BDk_6oOk6m7UteZaxJLixxEgwSHPHdat_5P3mOCbUc-wtgdHhI2L-8h7c3ztzp5inH7U2F2XlbmHptEI/s320/IMG_20111008_102852.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building looks like a <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sandcrawler" target="_blank">Sandcrawler,</a> right? </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3yfNblS84IRq6nxf18sjjFYH5WeKqRg1WuPAJh4HU8IB6LvU_XJVQvVMgRsW3AG90IanKX0CKd6qHFmC8UpS3_PLwtaFBWO1bag3MGMWcLsZ1dwAahTNjK2_wgYcn5f6vJbciD4gh6LN/s1600/IMG_20111008_174816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3yfNblS84IRq6nxf18sjjFYH5WeKqRg1WuPAJh4HU8IB6LvU_XJVQvVMgRsW3AG90IanKX0CKd6qHFmC8UpS3_PLwtaFBWO1bag3MGMWcLsZ1dwAahTNjK2_wgYcn5f6vJbciD4gh6LN/s320/IMG_20111008_174816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). We got his autograph on his book, <i>My Favorite Giant.</i> We also met George Takei and Billy Dee Williams (he thought my name, Cali, is short for California) and a couple voice actors from the Clone Wars TV series on Cartoon Network. We have autographs from all of the previously mentioned people. It was AWESOME! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9WCoOLIqqlNLgEMxSM6c8Uw8BlH9Vcil0DEBFQuErnmPiT2vZ5-df_QVmG8l7beR5xHmOixlhsImFhLxgYxK9P0uc88n6AgM_Ycscw4dcgSX7Rnf9xt4uughGcTMQpoG-yHsclE915Fa/s1600/IMG_20111008_180157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9WCoOLIqqlNLgEMxSM6c8Uw8BlH9Vcil0DEBFQuErnmPiT2vZ5-df_QVmG8l7beR5xHmOixlhsImFhLxgYxK9P0uc88n6AgM_Ycscw4dcgSX7Rnf9xt4uughGcTMQpoG-yHsclE915Fa/s320/IMG_20111008_180157.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R2-D2! A fan had built this and was driving him around the convention. It was impressive! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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A side note: Yes, Danny and I met George Takei while we were wearing Star Wars t-shirts. You know what? He didn't even care. We told him that we love Star Trek too! And he is all for Star Wars and Star Trek getting along and both being awesome. He did some voice work in the Clone Wars cartoon show. <br />
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Okay, back to pictures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2h2LOEjjE4-nt_r3VFG31amP8RzP62ezgyE9o7vUyQn34cAEjNh-N3RH6FE04k3pZ4aVcprVttkwy5BXFhrm1JhDCdvDe3sH1w-9kgtfHjbvmCt1va86_7oataff8rQernf4aVIdTFoR/s1600/IMG_20111014_183419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2h2LOEjjE4-nt_r3VFG31amP8RzP62ezgyE9o7vUyQn34cAEjNh-N3RH6FE04k3pZ4aVcprVttkwy5BXFhrm1JhDCdvDe3sH1w-9kgtfHjbvmCt1va86_7oataff8rQernf4aVIdTFoR/s320/IMG_20111014_183419.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decided I wanted an Autumn themed birthday party. Check out the fantastic cupcakes my friend, Alex, made! Those are chocolate trees. (my favorite kind of tree! ha ha!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_Dlup6YNySvh_sg7ip15rYK4im7eYqVmniepjz83Eznlb_Ays9hFumvPiqv16R4Kg_gBv63-RNse_e9Sf1cv-lGPyXCho8MR0Aptxj_ocmA-lfKSegeESji6QxnNewGy5MdbvPrdxXxc/s1600/IMG_20111014_183428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_Dlup6YNySvh_sg7ip15rYK4im7eYqVmniepjz83Eznlb_Ays9hFumvPiqv16R4Kg_gBv63-RNse_e9Sf1cv-lGPyXCho8MR0Aptxj_ocmA-lfKSegeESji6QxnNewGy5MdbvPrdxXxc/s320/IMG_20111014_183428.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday to me! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yZgx5e1lkQLfD5wG3leZJd-Tp-7j33YGd1a0KFUMz-v8d8VQrF5XMZkGXMiWzvu1l99dgNjNlLRSULcMxd9w8VKNdoXkGLj1YMsK5_heTCaaiCK_uYqL-Ytp3pNVo4dbstsxNMiGqZzh/s1600/IMG_20111014_183500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yZgx5e1lkQLfD5wG3leZJd-Tp-7j33YGd1a0KFUMz-v8d8VQrF5XMZkGXMiWzvu1l99dgNjNlLRSULcMxd9w8VKNdoXkGLj1YMsK5_heTCaaiCK_uYqL-Ytp3pNVo4dbstsxNMiGqZzh/s320/IMG_20111014_183500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donut-hole acorns with Nutella. I found them on <a href="http://pinterest.com/calib/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and I just had to try them out. Here are the <a href="http://www.graciousrain.com/2010/10/06/sweet-acorns/" target="_blank">instructions</a>. I highly recommend. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhESKAI4XiEdy9clotRhaoMnSzDkcljMiqcXzGwNdlfJQ5Yo9ecqhKq9d5V4lZn-P13qf5-uSzbHX-68tRf1-OLuRzo1zUNcgg8q_8nPwRXz38IiEapWEHRlYhw6xSTmreClD34iL1WD2M/s1600/IMG_20111014_183618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhESKAI4XiEdy9clotRhaoMnSzDkcljMiqcXzGwNdlfJQ5Yo9ecqhKq9d5V4lZn-P13qf5-uSzbHX-68tRf1-OLuRzo1zUNcgg8q_8nPwRXz38IiEapWEHRlYhw6xSTmreClD34iL1WD2M/s320/IMG_20111014_183618.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny bought me some lovely and colorful daisies.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfppsP7K_WBQIRFznHhcJoolSlA1vKpgroKJcQjqJxMZRc80RC6L9IcdWc8V1NNxaE0qml1LyVfv7NghbWr5ZUIU_rrGMyC-K9K1R_bfdMQ7J2wRV0G2NIGI-4FCKbaSFXdQPhrTdZYSHJ/s1600/IMG_20111014_211445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfppsP7K_WBQIRFznHhcJoolSlA1vKpgroKJcQjqJxMZRc80RC6L9IcdWc8V1NNxaE0qml1LyVfv7NghbWr5ZUIU_rrGMyC-K9K1R_bfdMQ7J2wRV0G2NIGI-4FCKbaSFXdQPhrTdZYSHJ/s320/IMG_20111014_211445.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cupcake. It was a small party, but it was fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka-BUV8Tn7kOSHz5bC2HosXk0LRR-OzULeiPfimoHrwmPuuF6d2kECPDvXjEVcES-N_3zKuDj4PphV9ww5XOh_eBSs0d2YZZSzL9LoOuURuJ0z2hji007adWvxL3Sq1gLexFPVx0IbcS6/s1600/IMG_20111015_113420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka-BUV8Tn7kOSHz5bC2HosXk0LRR-OzULeiPfimoHrwmPuuF6d2kECPDvXjEVcES-N_3zKuDj4PphV9ww5XOh_eBSs0d2YZZSzL9LoOuURuJ0z2hji007adWvxL3Sq1gLexFPVx0IbcS6/s320/IMG_20111015_113420.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my birthday I decided that I wanted to visit the creek that is across the street from where I grew up. I spent some good times exploring that creek back in the day! Danny, Alex, and I had a little creek outing. It was lovely. Oh, I found this "please order here" sign. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5SF9Q1PwpEmAyhQ9PK0SyYBZIRhNCGuFKLAgdsBISrIn-cNV9NW9iEf3pKssi9QvBdUKnLt-rXjrwIcNfjKmRZWhJxraZ0228XZM732CQDX7qzg-kQbq9v2nxyGXoHt-mGhR80zC-bLT/s1600/IMG_20111015_115021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5SF9Q1PwpEmAyhQ9PK0SyYBZIRhNCGuFKLAgdsBISrIn-cNV9NW9iEf3pKssi9QvBdUKnLt-rXjrwIcNfjKmRZWhJxraZ0228XZM732CQDX7qzg-kQbq9v2nxyGXoHt-mGhR80zC-bLT/s320/IMG_20111015_115021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being the intrepid explorers that we are, Alex and I "discovered" these "waterfalls" and named them Tulio & Miguel Falls and Miguel & Tulio Falls. It's a <i>Road to El Dorado </i>thing. I, um, can't remember which is which. We have had this problem before. We discovered them several years ago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcgSaRA5BgYsWi6O0gDVQzUu4Y9bwq7JYOUruvHGq_5TGCm1ziBCRucqOoYN_qEUF_mJtZK27f-OmaYi38tEH2TyFTm1uvHT8fUvPNASUuCVifFTCnh7iNHl-amcmI6WDwDr2dDnov0qh/s1600/IMG_20111015_115329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcgSaRA5BgYsWi6O0gDVQzUu4Y9bwq7JYOUruvHGq_5TGCm1ziBCRucqOoYN_qEUF_mJtZK27f-OmaYi38tEH2TyFTm1uvHT8fUvPNASUuCVifFTCnh7iNHl-amcmI6WDwDr2dDnov0qh/s320/IMG_20111015_115329.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Company Retreat!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AwsgCo-ousCcHj8n26D70vH98wobK1xiFFU2N56wTaShwadIlutn74q6sqsexJcXCVDdi7WvuRH9N2pJde-iFAg_VKLyylb5gnftNdB2_T7Zd7TLSl9uLKcWf7J7c7CWbc3B90iaHlmG/s1600/IMG_19800105_184143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AwsgCo-ousCcHj8n26D70vH98wobK1xiFFU2N56wTaShwadIlutn74q6sqsexJcXCVDdi7WvuRH9N2pJde-iFAg_VKLyylb5gnftNdB2_T7Zd7TLSl9uLKcWf7J7c7CWbc3B90iaHlmG/s320/IMG_19800105_184143.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We brought Lego Imperial officers, since it was a company retreat. It seemed appropriate. Danny's company is awesome and they are in no ways like the Death Star or anything like that. The theme was "super hero" for the retreat. Their company mascot is a dolphin. I felt like the picture might need some explanation..moving on...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvpi5x0XA2izENRbAZEyPCcxQCBFmjr96fLghua7PXVDk8YEc5E49NOO9edIq8yQ-eGPoXYKQGOLbqWVXaQhwDaTY-9_OePPO2TcXb7qUdGv6YOh2xrRaBnSbi1UK2Q3Pugyk8kBv20Wc/s1600/DSCN4100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvpi5x0XA2izENRbAZEyPCcxQCBFmjr96fLghua7PXVDk8YEc5E49NOO9edIq8yQ-eGPoXYKQGOLbqWVXaQhwDaTY-9_OePPO2TcXb7qUdGv6YOh2xrRaBnSbi1UK2Q3Pugyk8kBv20Wc/s320/DSCN4100.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we each got a t-shirt. I think the Legos were threatened by the dolphin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-qVBQ10wlrgBxhAhuQQJ1IN-d0AzsJvNENbOOB5TW4gchOFd3rAggypP3VrK4FzqdATMhstFzM5tMP_OVK9UaqRkNbBGNljNSDpNqfoubmV1KfwdxSuWM_gIkX2u-zRmJpgPcrxh44jv/s1600/IMG_19800105_231039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-qVBQ10wlrgBxhAhuQQJ1IN-d0AzsJvNENbOOB5TW4gchOFd3rAggypP3VrK4FzqdATMhstFzM5tMP_OVK9UaqRkNbBGNljNSDpNqfoubmV1KfwdxSuWM_gIkX2u-zRmJpgPcrxh44jv/s320/IMG_19800105_231039.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The retreat was at the Lost Pines resort. It was a nice and fun place. They also had a lazy river. I floated around that thing for a while. Danny and I went on a hike during some of our free-time.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxssrlLnGIKhEu8ZJIKBoRQnya1bcT_OMFKtBFspp0fEcuXPm-Scw96I4_yqQQWYDymtoZuKttkD81YWPUZwbLzBywSFPyNwCfchQITB93DnORckhEhR3tFzeoo6KB9MZf287UmEZr_LFw/s1600/IMG_19800105_231002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxssrlLnGIKhEu8ZJIKBoRQnya1bcT_OMFKtBFspp0fEcuXPm-Scw96I4_yqQQWYDymtoZuKttkD81YWPUZwbLzBywSFPyNwCfchQITB93DnORckhEhR3tFzeoo6KB9MZf287UmEZr_LFw/s320/IMG_19800105_231002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Moff Tarkin, and some of his buddies went on the hike too. We took a break.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQGae2brMiuNGktptoFg0z7iTvvxjAdR6CxWZdsyEJxMmMN_puuJr2u2rCq0xtgN0ZXNIbBiVzUtsn34UC5r3p-PFjx_vdlaKmnvOaLL2TGWnQydFKXlgxbL8c9NbTuNGoMI7PIHYuafz/s1600/DSCN4098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQGae2brMiuNGktptoFg0z7iTvvxjAdR6CxWZdsyEJxMmMN_puuJr2u2rCq0xtgN0ZXNIbBiVzUtsn34UC5r3p-PFjx_vdlaKmnvOaLL2TGWnQydFKXlgxbL8c9NbTuNGoMI7PIHYuafz/s320/DSCN4098.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday night was a big dinner. People were encouraged to wear super hero costumes. Here are the guys getting ready.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSd59X1_UQxKz0VutGM-2zvqms9qCIRKd5AowFuWcJIZ60Dwu5XibHj8z_bhsowDm0h7GLI8Wj3OYmhX4PmDa5UO1hURxIJFkxsIXhHurbuJmQDa48rySsVPiXA6iH-jmxw5XaVkFVEe3/s1600/IMG_19800106_032748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSd59X1_UQxKz0VutGM-2zvqms9qCIRKd5AowFuWcJIZ60Dwu5XibHj8z_bhsowDm0h7GLI8Wj3OYmhX4PmDa5UO1hURxIJFkxsIXhHurbuJmQDa48rySsVPiXA6iH-jmxw5XaVkFVEe3/s320/IMG_19800106_032748.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have their costumes on!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYae-ig_nQ65QRJ5wgWDAuyYENizQyGJH-GBjurWji9URxVDbx7c0uEuEp0K9OK2GrfywIRZjEqf_FdoqH5ecxOM9eJQ_RoTIUofkp5dVY8RR8DHhHjvZQdn3FbLFfODYkcYMwdpgz-sFi/s1600/IMG_19800106_032845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYae-ig_nQ65QRJ5wgWDAuyYENizQyGJH-GBjurWji9URxVDbx7c0uEuEp0K9OK2GrfywIRZjEqf_FdoqH5ecxOM9eJQ_RoTIUofkp5dVY8RR8DHhHjvZQdn3FbLFfODYkcYMwdpgz-sFi/s320/IMG_19800106_032845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I went as <a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Grover" target="_blank">Super Grover.</a> I also made that costume. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JwZbUziuBxqYyDjUsbZDxb8bf4QsBj2vTAAB-d3N-a7nBxId5FCAAbNUHdIq4SKRmUvWzAxI__ALrWqfu15OereaYX-bc3PNDG6vGSRGFY1tt85TmLDVlIm0QOzBCP9MM4L5hF8oeRrK/s1600/IMG_19800106_032935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JwZbUziuBxqYyDjUsbZDxb8bf4QsBj2vTAAB-d3N-a7nBxId5FCAAbNUHdIq4SKRmUvWzAxI__ALrWqfu15OereaYX-bc3PNDG6vGSRGFY1tt85TmLDVlIm0QOzBCP9MM4L5hF8oeRrK/s320/IMG_19800106_032935.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny dressed as Gambit from X-Men. He put together his costume. We made an interesting couple. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtx0hJCI20rmm65NJiHwUnY0FPvXSj8kRCxRAppguuhsD4c_JhTmTmPIe7pj5LwMOVsZaxJ0kaCtNzz3K9U2sKLll0SNOY8MyVHmehyphenhyphenosyGJqnlxD2ivdo8-WHT-cPBE9fzJ57svmIsNPk/s1600/IMG_20111022_230358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtx0hJCI20rmm65NJiHwUnY0FPvXSj8kRCxRAppguuhsD4c_JhTmTmPIe7pj5LwMOVsZaxJ0kaCtNzz3K9U2sKLll0SNOY8MyVHmehyphenhyphenosyGJqnlxD2ivdo8-WHT-cPBE9fzJ57svmIsNPk/s320/IMG_20111022_230358.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying some Kolaches from the Czech stop in West, Texas. Oh man, those are good! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Happy Halloween!<br />
Danny and I participated in our church's Trunk-or-Treat and Halloween carnival. It was super fun!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0Iv9gnabHyGYxp3harIj8ik1McghabS8aJSgHQ4AsOWgAwBF_mVD4BU3XGQGfUsAhdJTwEYf1Pr16q6oRs04GXxE3_eSpyk0f7GTs5QtlRI8FlkLPxiR28vFnDv9Rkdxxs1Vych7FNF1/s1600/IMG_20111029_180813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0Iv9gnabHyGYxp3harIj8ik1McghabS8aJSgHQ4AsOWgAwBF_mVD4BU3XGQGfUsAhdJTwEYf1Pr16q6oRs04GXxE3_eSpyk0f7GTs5QtlRI8FlkLPxiR28vFnDv9Rkdxxs1Vych7FNF1/s320/IMG_20111029_180813.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did a cupcake-cake-walk for the kids. I signed up to bring some cupcakes and after agonizing over what type of fun Halloween cupcakes to bring, I settled for "dirt" cupcakes. Fun stuff! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcyi8YRfLWehy1rHs4g6nqiSZIklMGpvoV4nCt0yXigHgYK-vX1NY1xRaCZbWRSwrTIXTPzDcd1co97B8p-sRfzEzIVxbFmREjERyQqTdWEzkTcVVmyCaZ21yG0RBfhZljV-y0XsFzGR4/s1600/IMG_20111029_180933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcyi8YRfLWehy1rHs4g6nqiSZIklMGpvoV4nCt0yXigHgYK-vX1NY1xRaCZbWRSwrTIXTPzDcd1co97B8p-sRfzEzIVxbFmREjERyQqTdWEzkTcVVmyCaZ21yG0RBfhZljV-y0XsFzGR4/s320/IMG_20111029_180933.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bork! Bork! I dressed as the Swedish Chef. I could not find good facial hair for my costume. Bummer! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPSwk271vwq09c9dYH59hezIk6KYN2ddth3dlXEwr7gqJCk7MxHSKLr8fKoTP5SniCsZtwqYEJgGFzgEDRCzwaHnfFNRwznLre61t3gw46wxHm16vmKAviyyfAvniVEAPjnbq36wzE1Yx/s1600/IMG_20111029_205147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPSwk271vwq09c9dYH59hezIk6KYN2ddth3dlXEwr7gqJCk7MxHSKLr8fKoTP5SniCsZtwqYEJgGFzgEDRCzwaHnfFNRwznLre61t3gw46wxHm16vmKAviyyfAvniVEAPjnbq36wzE1Yx/s320/IMG_20111029_205147.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny is dressed as a Star Wars character (shocking, right?). This is, Plo Koon. He is a pretty cool Jedi. He is only briefly shown in the movies. Plo Koon has been in the Clone Wars tv show though! That is what I know him from.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsZmGcdZDzpqxGR_2CEN7mVxxawmHLWYRRnzyiMHUet5uEpTv8t528BpBd6OLFBzBnjf-FgLhljy8xpDx0qDictId4N4qyhrfunOQWiMnX5K9k_u_EqT4qygBl70iYn4b-VWRAMulDz1U/s1600/IMG_20111029_205314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsZmGcdZDzpqxGR_2CEN7mVxxawmHLWYRRnzyiMHUet5uEpTv8t528BpBd6OLFBzBnjf-FgLhljy8xpDx0qDictId4N4qyhrfunOQWiMnX5K9k_u_EqT4qygBl70iYn4b-VWRAMulDz1U/s320/IMG_20111029_205314.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plo Koon eating popcorn out of a Star Wars popcorn tin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On that note, I think it is time for us to travel to November!<br />
<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-59595262496158039752012-06-06T00:13:00.004-05:002012-06-06T00:13:43.179-05:00September 2011<br />
Welcome to September 2011. Are you getting the hang of this time-travel thing? I know I am.<br />
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Danny is an IT Consultant. A lot of companies have their consultants travel all over the place. It was one of the things we knew about consulting when Danny decided it was the career he wanted. Wonderfully, the company he works for does a lot of local work. Of course there are exceptions. From about September-December Danny traveled to Oklahoma City nearly every week for work. He carpooled with some other guys from the same company. He would leave Monday morning and come home Thursday night. The team would work remotely out of their home office on Friday. It was an interesting experience. Danny and I talked on Google + Video chat. It was almost like he was still home! We missed each other but we both found other things to occupy our time. I spent time with friends and went about my normal life. Danny took Lego Clone War clone troopers with him. He took the coolest photos of these troopers at different places and around the hotel. He has an album on Facebook called "Oklahoma City Clones: Adventure of the 5OK1st". It is a word play on the 501st. Here are a few pictures. I will put Danny's captions from Facebook.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPw1FeIZTSpN_cQOtnKal8D3L246xUgSyYdVmvzTgU2lhmhcdsCJUU2gYi5lGll5zDfXKhyphenhyphen_1Mjo8qZABDAharmNU3ZpHhvMdO58_GANnE4l6PXVSZUPJprygqgBUooufB7BV31u6KFwQ/s320/319529_10150282411175036_2025166653_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">It's like a sign that they belong here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">This way men!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">Eying the pool</span><div class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoPageTagList">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">This things built like a tank!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption">I don't think this is the type of shipyard we normally visit...</span></td></tr>
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You can see that Danny had a good time! I thoroughly enjoyed the pictures he took. Of course several of them have cheesy puns involved!<br />
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During September we went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my mom and step-dad. He meets up with some buddies to golf. They go almost every year and this year they decided they would drive and invited Danny and I to drive with them.<br />
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The trip was lovely. The ocean is one of my favorite things, especially the Atlantic Ocean. I can have a favorite ocean if I want to, and I want to.<br />
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I had never been to South Carolina before and Danny had never been on the East Coast before. (makes sense, the man grew up in California).<br />
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It rained on our drive out to Myrtle Beach and a few of the days that we were there. Danny and I love the rain. Let me tell you something, rain anywhere is awesome, but if you get a chance to be near the ocean while it is raining, jump on that chance! (unless it is a hurricane and your life is in danger). As I said earlier, I love the ocean. There was something about rain on the beach and watching it rain over the ocean that made me never want to move from my chair again. I wanted to sit there watching it rain on the ocean forever! Mom and Alan thought we were crazy for liking the rain so much! Maybe they were right.<br />
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I have some Myrtle Beach pictures! Let's take a look...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a storm rolling in</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lovely bit of rainbow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching the sunrise from the balcony of our condo </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Atlantic Ocean! I adore you.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last morning we were there. The picture does not accurately show exactly how beautiful the sun through the clouds and hitting the water was. Boy, oh boy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the store Danny found! He loves purple. Everything in this store was purple! It was pretty fun. Also, check out my husband's vacation attire. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This duck is swimming in a fountain. I am extremely entertained by this. Silly duck.</td></tr>
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I have more pictures of Myrtle Beach somewhere, but I am not sure where at the moment. If I find them I will make another post. There are some good ones, I think. Also, if you want to see any of the pictures on this blog larger, you can just click on them! Easy peasy!<br />
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You now know about September 2011. Shall we check out October? I think we shall. It was a busy month. See you in October!Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-11014467100934626402012-06-05T23:22:00.002-05:002012-06-05T23:22:52.861-05:00August 2011Whew, that was quite the journey. Here we are back in August of 2011.
Danny and I celebrated being married for four years! For our anniversary we decided to head down to San Antonio and explore the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm" target="_blank">San Antonio missions</a>. That link should take you to the national parks website, in case you want to read about them. Basically there are a handful of missions that the Spanish built way back when Spain colonized parts of Texas. <br />
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We also walked along the river walk that runs through San Antonio, visited and did a session in the <a href="http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/sanantonio/" target="_blank">San Antonio LDS Temple</a>, and went to Sea World. All in all it was a fantastic trip! I even have some pictures for you to enjoy.<br />
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Mission San Jose was my favorite. It was the most complete out of the four we visited. It still had perimeter walls,"Indian quarters", the main chapel, beautiful arches, and a mill. I took some pretty good pictures that are on my Facebook. The photos are not professional by any means, but I was pleased with how some of them turned out. I love Spanish Colonial type architecture and I have some nice pictures of that. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Jose</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Jose (I was seriously in love with these arches)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Jose (the main entrance)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHCo7c3bQag-0MhgTuYKxTBilFnwMRDZdfzCwweUdG-0OF9tr0GzAgSi6c44jfwKQsHILGjz-PC4GGL51Q3Dr9gAP0lUrqSSPKHEY4PSYoByBla6fDYnNZWMij1EFPYSfOIIEGKQKD04o/s1600/DSCN3890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHCo7c3bQag-0MhgTuYKxTBilFnwMRDZdfzCwweUdG-0OF9tr0GzAgSi6c44jfwKQsHILGjz-PC4GGL51Q3Dr9gAP0lUrqSSPKHEY4PSYoByBla6fDYnNZWMij1EFPYSfOIIEGKQKD04o/s320/DSCN3890.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cacti growing on a wooden roof at Mission San Jose</td></tr>
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<br />
Next we visited Mission Espada. This one was much smaller but it had some beautiful gardens. Here is a picture of the chapel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzvMjhN-YQWOX54Na-aAO2uUZJ7fQPdzS4Bg-hF9tSmDd-_1cpCuWqyev0rRSjKZ7sIcjytaI0QAYDGrP9fF7gMWowtkawZ4H7U1TinJ3vf8iohLhuMXatN4tzset83s-p7eX8TVezleW/s1600/DSCN3900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzvMjhN-YQWOX54Na-aAO2uUZJ7fQPdzS4Bg-hF9tSmDd-_1cpCuWqyev0rRSjKZ7sIcjytaI0QAYDGrP9fF7gMWowtkawZ4H7U1TinJ3vf8iohLhuMXatN4tzset83s-p7eX8TVezleW/s320/DSCN3900.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission Espada</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
To be honest, by the time we got to Mission San Juan Capistrano, Danny and I were done. It was so humid that day and it was getting too warm for us to really appreciate. Mission San Juan did not interest me as much. It was still interesting to see though. We did not make it to Mission Concepcion. We will visit that one another time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4lmRtcziRnk3vx11CxFcxODw8APNNrIJSSvGGZ0Pal4ujo5XIPv2iHcsNS_xF_Zd0cUWQomEmWGRPKSDR2MglcT68bjj0z1mn5Qd2u5E2cwJkKV9kUYW6K1s8XG6l3SELdu-8y06wDNB/s1600/DSCN3912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4lmRtcziRnk3vx11CxFcxODw8APNNrIJSSvGGZ0Pal4ujo5XIPv2iHcsNS_xF_Zd0cUWQomEmWGRPKSDR2MglcT68bjj0z1mn5Qd2u5E2cwJkKV9kUYW6K1s8XG6l3SELdu-8y06wDNB/s320/DSCN3912.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Juan Capistrano</td></tr>
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<br />
The San Antonio Temple was absolutely beautiful! I was especially interested in the stained glass. I made sure to get a picture in front of it. It is a beautiful place inside and out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QMsFR5IQ_3SBpVHVvqbrvg_4R0Ags-SLWc2Xs9G95hS-Hk2kOWxL7fYjEL4mH0q4C7Im6JvZSFEdzDW6YSAksilcAE-NDV7xK3HCecI33lAN7n3NzYO1SSkgIW3XaLsfxra5UUIxrvz9/s1600/DSCN3923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QMsFR5IQ_3SBpVHVvqbrvg_4R0Ags-SLWc2Xs9G95hS-Hk2kOWxL7fYjEL4mH0q4C7Im6JvZSFEdzDW6YSAksilcAE-NDV7xK3HCecI33lAN7n3NzYO1SSkgIW3XaLsfxra5UUIxrvz9/s320/DSCN3923.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny and I outside the San Antonio Temple</td></tr>
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<br />
After our dinner we walked over to the Alamo. It was not open for visitors, but at least Danny was able to see the Alamo! I had already seen it, but it was nice to say "hello" again. You should appreciate that I am not giving a history lecture about the Alamo on here. If I had updated the blog on time, I might have. I do love history and Texas has an awesome history! <br />
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<tr align="left"><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjop9mFN6LLEbGIJIh8jcd75DCFWCGXOijK8alyBKbcim2kmRshipffkJhuTnyUN1EnmZWJSFCkF4KUyYezC3csd6JizGULEvOQbIdtpE4cuMh5lUvXsnbKcW3_0Z_M_3oeY5PPxVxiMlAu/s1600/DSCN3939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjop9mFN6LLEbGIJIh8jcd75DCFWCGXOijK8alyBKbcim2kmRshipffkJhuTnyUN1EnmZWJSFCkF4KUyYezC3csd6JizGULEvOQbIdtpE4cuMh5lUvXsnbKcW3_0Z_M_3oeY5PPxVxiMlAu/s320/DSCN3939.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember the Alamo! Danny in front of the Alamo.</td></tr>
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Sea World was fun! There were some crowds, but overall it never felt too crowded. We were able to catch some shows. I love the Sea Lion show! We also fed dolphins and said "ooo" and "aaaa" about the animals. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLvOUAKfqPn59BmiSU6a6UcIKZ_aN8O1n9ks9gdfpc7i3BSH1Lr53-2SLplfSk-Ih8Dv0IBpoFWn_t_rAgzhbZTO4WP21RpdjFsoExLOLvUHRsjRlunJD7ff7Ft7nEZtym0sPz26v-Qls/s1600/DSCN3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLvOUAKfqPn59BmiSU6a6UcIKZ_aN8O1n9ks9gdfpc7i3BSH1Lr53-2SLplfSk-Ih8Dv0IBpoFWn_t_rAgzhbZTO4WP21RpdjFsoExLOLvUHRsjRlunJD7ff7Ft7nEZtym0sPz26v-Qls/s320/DSCN3949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny and I at Sea World</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-PwG5Cc6Ri2Lks-q3p94sHiijHcvm7hysPJcqZoq55cFFiVCprec6pIXhKWmXn6nzZhaJbhxJQ8BNmNBckxId5zTr6TToVeZk1IMQ5FnF__H2pZQA2RkE0pe8_07l-xhz_bLvPceDeEc/s1600/DSCN3955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-PwG5Cc6Ri2Lks-q3p94sHiijHcvm7hysPJcqZoq55cFFiVCprec6pIXhKWmXn6nzZhaJbhxJQ8BNmNBckxId5zTr6TToVeZk1IMQ5FnF__H2pZQA2RkE0pe8_07l-xhz_bLvPceDeEc/s320/DSCN3955.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny feeding a dolphin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlz3bkKNDOzhkL_1WdtOK0iQssGrteFJyUGXCOTInBG1Yj7Bh1lcy_LYEGuH650tgR5w7edT9dWmk7epNEaIR5uMDDxoqDuqhtYtNSgMId4TvYfT3cYiAZjrjEXifK7UT5Xq2QH8GdlcX/s1600/DSCN3963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlz3bkKNDOzhkL_1WdtOK0iQssGrteFJyUGXCOTInBG1Yj7Bh1lcy_LYEGuH650tgR5w7edT9dWmk7epNEaIR5uMDDxoqDuqhtYtNSgMId4TvYfT3cYiAZjrjEXifK7UT5Xq2QH8GdlcX/s320/DSCN3963.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny, Shamu, and me</td></tr>
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We were just looking at the alligators when I noticed a turtle riding on one! Silly turtle, that is not a log! Of course we had to take a picture. Maybe it will give Erasmus (our pet turtle) some inspiration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnPJVjMZkb8uFjF_3O9vjiaO9j8mekO1pYeAPu8LCPs_trYV7iFz4dgqH7fbGGr3ojGYquD2aqTSjjKx1D1rZh2O8vw7xelud98K2cRzehLMZY8J2UFAckZ-DgdTsTKlrs-aPQGSac9Ac/s1600/DSCN4015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnPJVjMZkb8uFjF_3O9vjiaO9j8mekO1pYeAPu8LCPs_trYV7iFz4dgqH7fbGGr3ojGYquD2aqTSjjKx1D1rZh2O8vw7xelud98K2cRzehLMZY8J2UFAckZ-DgdTsTKlrs-aPQGSac9Ac/s320/DSCN4015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a red-ear slider turtle riding an alligator like a boss</td></tr>
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In August I also began working with the Webelos Den (10 year olds) in Cub Scouts. I am still doing that and I love it! Cub Scouts is so much fun! At the beginning I had no idea what I was doing and the other, more experienced, Den Leader, left. Talk about jumping into the deep end to learn how to swim! Our Cub Committee chair was super wonderful and helped me out a ton! Now, I can say I have learned a lot and have a generally decent grasp of what is going on. <br />
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That was August 2011! I was going to combine September in this post, but I think this post is bordering on "too long" anyway.<br />
<br />
Time to time travel again!Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-2111073086700348062012-06-05T22:13:00.000-05:002012-06-05T22:13:30.586-05:00Hello Again!Well, here I am again after another year has almost completed itself. Honestly, I had no idea how long it had been since I updated this ol' thing! The last few months have just flown by at a rather alarming rate. Such is life, I suppose.<br />
<br />
We are going to play a little game. Because of my neglect, I missed blogging about some pretty cool things! You know, trips and stuff worth blogging about. At least one "blog worthy" thing happened every month! I guess you can be the judge of that though.<br />
<br />
My plan of attack will be to combine a few months together and do a series of posts to get caught up.<br />
<br />
Quickly, here is an update for today:<br />
Danny is still working for Pariveda and he LOVES it! I love that he loves his job.<br />
<br />
I do not have a job, but I keep busy with church activities and puttering around my apartment. We do have a second car now so maybe, just maybe, I will go looking for some work. I am still mulling that over though.<br />
<br />
And now, without further delay, everyone jump into the DeLorean and make sure the flux capacitor is fluxing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQPhyphenhyphenw4ycIph27NkaQFGmDVU2gvKQHUMyCOXIikG9RC67bqyESLw7-QIvlCruXhO3OpodNVBQSP859__fUuBnCIYYKxYU-dGv_YxFP4ThbfTFfAFDWhGNMOFz5AP5azeTtlF90n-pZ3yc/s1600/back-future-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQPhyphenhyphenw4ycIph27NkaQFGmDVU2gvKQHUMyCOXIikG9RC67bqyESLw7-QIvlCruXhO3OpodNVBQSP859__fUuBnCIYYKxYU-dGv_YxFP4ThbfTFfAFDWhGNMOFz5AP5azeTtlF90n-pZ3yc/s320/back-future-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Back to the Future reference)</td></tr>
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<br />Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-66273680216070548762011-07-15T20:04:00.002-05:002011-07-17T00:10:27.547-05:00Four Posts in OneThe most recent update to this blog was almost 2 months ago. Does it feel longer than that to anyone else? I have no idea where this summer is going. It is going by so fast that May seems longer ago than it was. That totally makes sense, right?<br /><br />In the past two months:<br /><ul><li>I have ventured in to the world of crafts. I found out it was a glittery, sticky, waxy, and exciting place. </li><li>I participated in the North Texas Susan G. Kommen Walk for the Cure<br /></li><li>Danny, my friend Alex, and I plotted, schemed, and created decorations and desserts for a birthday party</li><li>Danny and I ventured south to Austin for a Lego convention</li></ul><br /><br />Alex, and I, have made the unfortunate discovery that we want to attempt various crafting endeavors. I say unfortunate because we should not be trusted around sharp objects and glue. I jest. We are careful and I try not to be my semi-clumsy self.<br /><br />For Mother's Day we thought it would be a brilliant idea to make candles. It was something we both wanted to try, and we both clung to the hope that our mothers love anything hand made by their children out of principle, even though we are grown ups. So we bought simple and basic supplies and made candles! For our first attempt, the candles turned out pretty good! They sort of collapsed in the middle. We will try a couple different techniques to prevent that during our next candle making adventure.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNBftlJS7_ZHmF4jOr4YHH0ByWbZPdUYN07WdFBI7u8gj_spQ0PYZsYmy7Bj4drdlSjAzeOUFE6yXavRPpKUtTBvq5eCF3juMQ9qcd4Bfk6dWqm8w7IDnq-b77__iGoKq652iriu7O2v3/s1600/DSCN3797.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNBftlJS7_ZHmF4jOr4YHH0ByWbZPdUYN07WdFBI7u8gj_spQ0PYZsYmy7Bj4drdlSjAzeOUFE6yXavRPpKUtTBvq5eCF3juMQ9qcd4Bfk6dWqm8w7IDnq-b77__iGoKq652iriu7O2v3/s320/DSCN3797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629061335616920882" border="0" /></a>I chose red wax and cinnamon scent for my mom's candle. This is the wax melting.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqSwDY0i1EzQLKJvrvF-j9rHgCTFbsGJGj88vVNZxUVUJm5IxdLN9up1QTAddLM69WSAiHqL8mNfIOcX2CHVb6wtfzAOSdeOktioXlpxso0yaxRjugMpWPR3M8K1MeAU7uUT5Mdd7rGWj/s1600/DSCN3804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqSwDY0i1EzQLKJvrvF-j9rHgCTFbsGJGj88vVNZxUVUJm5IxdLN9up1QTAddLM69WSAiHqL8mNfIOcX2CHVb6wtfzAOSdeOktioXlpxso0yaxRjugMpWPR3M8K1MeAU7uUT5Mdd7rGWj/s320/DSCN3804.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629061581580244418" border="0" /></a>Me pouring the wax. Those Dixie cups make a wonderful candle. When the wax is cool you tear off the paper and voila! A candle.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_bc9Pq7RGdN-b9dEdAvtbwjkl-FpCqRwVjLYMFvMXpk2GDbyMKD23gvw6so4dC9PpN0EvUtJIx-bMcLWNEc2vA4kAtRUfMGdjH1O0WifZ3BnPfnFyhr5FHKYnkk94RIvp7-K_rTkjORF/s1600/DSCN3808.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_bc9Pq7RGdN-b9dEdAvtbwjkl-FpCqRwVjLYMFvMXpk2GDbyMKD23gvw6so4dC9PpN0EvUtJIx-bMcLWNEc2vA4kAtRUfMGdjH1O0WifZ3BnPfnFyhr5FHKYnkk94RIvp7-K_rTkjORF/s320/DSCN3808.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629061778906691314" border="0" /></a>The final result. I made a jar candle and a Dixie cup candle. I bought the twig heart and tied some ribbon around the jar to make it look pretty. My mom loved the candles. They did not explode when she burned them, so, I say they were successful.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />My mom and I participated in the North Texas Race for the Cure. It was a really neat experience. There were several people there; women, men, and kids! There were cute families all dressed in matching shirts. One woman, a survivor, had on a large, floppy sun hat. They decked it out in a pink boa and sequins and tulle. I told my mom, for the next Race for the Cure we will make something pink, sparkly, and fun for her to wear because she is a survivor. She hates hat so we will think of something else.<br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DXWrHhDNWEsrC34qFZ1036HQb_PwnzUqnRFBcb-upsimN5yaDKFFymuPuntg2kQM3BT6aoe59PjfAiJ1nJH7ADhR8sxtk8Sz06QX5le5JynJZJY4u-QbgeogCVKAoksaws0v7HK07mrX/s1600/6-13-11+016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DXWrHhDNWEsrC34qFZ1036HQb_PwnzUqnRFBcb-upsimN5yaDKFFymuPuntg2kQM3BT6aoe59PjfAiJ1nJH7ADhR8sxtk8Sz06QX5le5JynJZJY4u-QbgeogCVKAoksaws0v7HK07mrX/s320/6-13-11+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629062138116624770" border="0" /></a>Mom and I before the 5K. She works for the JCPenney headquarters and they had a group of people participating. That explains the JCPenney shirts instead of Race for the Cure shirts. You know, in case you were wondering.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzbVp4CsrcdOHiiTpO_3IyHtNk57S0tkzROrGojLrp200deU_PCclB4z5Blx6fya7cS3986KOx-Psn-wNPahgv8-Zx4ZGEz4RVq3nU4UNeRgxjiRDD7OU3ubJi2BoH8atCApu1CcQ1TTa/s1600/6-13-11+023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzbVp4CsrcdOHiiTpO_3IyHtNk57S0tkzROrGojLrp200deU_PCclB4z5Blx6fya7cS3986KOx-Psn-wNPahgv8-Zx4ZGEz4RVq3nU4UNeRgxjiRDD7OU3ubJi2BoH8atCApu1CcQ1TTa/s320/6-13-11+023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629062356329093138" border="0" /></a>Attractive. Fashionable. Charming. Me.<br />This is after the walk. It was hot and the humidity was over 60%. They gave out little pink towels. I soaked mine with water and put it on my head to stay cool.<br />My mom reckons (and I think she's right) that there exists a picture of me wearing an upside-down dog bowl on my head with the exact same expression. I have no explanation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My step-dad, Alan, turned 60! My mom wanted to hold a party for him. After batting around several different ideas, they settled on reserving a party room at The Pub. I love throwing parties and decorating things, so I volunteered to help out. I became in charge of decorations and dessert. I enlisted the help of Danny. He made a fantastic pinata. I also enlisted the help of Alex.<br /><br />I decided that the theme of the decorations should all be about Alan. He is a man of simple tastes. Our decorations included the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, George Straight, the US Navy (he served in the Navy), the Beatles, Texas, Golf, Bud Light, and Dr. Pepper.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV93CWZTWZyjXudquL2UE697UWGrhkaLcU-CpVyuRKomxN5Iw8yuyLuKM-HG7eDNyJcHrdIm0QEgZTuaCH_wvvYiym1CHAZ0HhQUzuAs2ZVYVqE6LpTR0QGx-yIfBIViNLRADWuzdzBBYl/s1600/60th+Birthday+026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV93CWZTWZyjXudquL2UE697UWGrhkaLcU-CpVyuRKomxN5Iw8yuyLuKM-HG7eDNyJcHrdIm0QEgZTuaCH_wvvYiym1CHAZ0HhQUzuAs2ZVYVqE6LpTR0QGx-yIfBIViNLRADWuzdzBBYl/s320/60th+Birthday+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629062707675574418" border="0" /></a>Alan, Danny, Alex, and I.<br />Alex and I made t-shirts that say "Set phasers to fun". The goatees we are wearing are made out of Fun Foam (or Funky Foam as it is sometimes called). Alan has had a mustache or goatee for nearly his whole life. In stead of party hats, we made the guests party goatees! It was Alex's idea.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3s4ym7fGbAe3SbA40bVZS8puMjCFKaxL6g_th-1iTHkPPR12qjXlHtkYBaZ8n3UdAKJ4AKsnPkg2xt7b_pp46BSwT4frnshjvrKlK-c2cU-uBa-yNSKa_6O878HU8vYAObsSNkosMJH/s1600/60th+Birthday+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3s4ym7fGbAe3SbA40bVZS8puMjCFKaxL6g_th-1iTHkPPR12qjXlHtkYBaZ8n3UdAKJ4AKsnPkg2xt7b_pp46BSwT4frnshjvrKlK-c2cU-uBa-yNSKa_6O878HU8vYAObsSNkosMJH/s320/60th+Birthday+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629063024659725378" border="0" /></a>I think this table turned out the best. It is the 'sports' table. As I said previously, we decorated with things that Alan likes. On this table we have items representing the Texas Rangers, the Cowboys and golf.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgHD-7lymdO71x_DtDHwEpUvCgu3jgLdsD-HCdXo1yykwfVfANsuSApRBw8GP8tX2UJzBUMx9sf68rF7oayxCES9WvXQ5VJP9Pt_mYrG5uj4Xxv0a9jtYKMLbhod9jcs7sOi7ROz9Nr62/s1600/60th+Birthday+004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgHD-7lymdO71x_DtDHwEpUvCgu3jgLdsD-HCdXo1yykwfVfANsuSApRBw8GP8tX2UJzBUMx9sf68rF7oayxCES9WvXQ5VJP9Pt_mYrG5uj4Xxv0a9jtYKMLbhod9jcs7sOi7ROz9Nr62/s320/60th+Birthday+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629063234616870866" border="0" /></a>I really should have added more to this board but I ran out of time. Oops! The cupcakes have Corvette logo toppers. He wanted a red Corvette for his birthday.<br /><br />The party was a huge success. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we received a lot of compliments about the decorations. People raved about the pinata Danny made. I had a lot of fun planning the decorations and everything.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Two weeks ago Danny and I ventured to Austin, TX for a Lego convention. It was the first in Texas! We went down there for Saturday only. Builders had their creations on display. It was fascinating to see what they created using only Legos!<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXROkSgFHVP7Yqx9URx9EB8MXyoxwGxSSqfLsGm-2l37XStTV2sqLZbXkCDtplj9Vxx7Qta1_yIeTQxiZskdY7jfX46pfHrSJBoho0UVyyKY6xJBLePQtVmaXPPhPV1ZQ5Df-UGzYAqWK/s1600/270196_10150222180390036_514810035_7304334_2261069_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXROkSgFHVP7Yqx9URx9EB8MXyoxwGxSSqfLsGm-2l37XStTV2sqLZbXkCDtplj9Vxx7Qta1_yIeTQxiZskdY7jfX46pfHrSJBoho0UVyyKY6xJBLePQtVmaXPPhPV1ZQ5Df-UGzYAqWK/s320/270196_10150222180390036_514810035_7304334_2261069_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629064482804468018" border="0" /></a>This is me in front of my favorite creation. It is a cathedral based on St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and Chartres Cathedral in France. The stained glass windows are made from small clear, colored pieces.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR_2TV9u14SYHvDG6Eu1qReX2keBI0uXBbK5faMIBA9fJ4GtC4HdqegB59kQBT0rtIpakXmkQ_N8DwkKydA9_4Gbbw02eGxha2ZoN16crRitAFCP14hn3IMTVZkkJO2lCvH8RSgfsSwEO/s1600/261543_10150222180215036_514810035_7304333_3433991_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR_2TV9u14SYHvDG6Eu1qReX2keBI0uXBbK5faMIBA9fJ4GtC4HdqegB59kQBT0rtIpakXmkQ_N8DwkKydA9_4Gbbw02eGxha2ZoN16crRitAFCP14hn3IMTVZkkJO2lCvH8RSgfsSwEO/s320/261543_10150222180215036_514810035_7304333_3433991_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629064618410774898" border="0" /></a>Danny in front of his favorite creation. This is an original creation. The builder built it from his imagination. It was very impressive. You can see in the pictures that the courtyards are on different layers. I do not know if this makes sense, but I liked the courtyard because you could imagine moving through it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We also ate at this incredibly delicious BBQ place in Austin. It is called Franklin's. You MUST eat there. Your life will be better because of it. I do not care how good your life is now, Franklin's can improve it. I recommend the ribs. I do not generally care for ribs, but these ribs are amazing. They are so tender, they slide off the bone. Mmmmmmmm. Good. Oh man, now I want Franklin's.<br /><br /><br /><br />If you are still reading this, I am impressed. I will try to update more often so when Danny and I do awesome stuff I do not have to write such long posts.<br /><br />Life is good.<br /><br />-The Bakkers<br /></div></div>Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-64350039143921843822011-05-18T00:54:00.005-05:002011-05-18T01:40:16.884-05:00Bibbidi, Bobbidi, BooThat whole going to sleep thing is not working for me tonight. It might have something to do with the fact that I woke up at 11 am. Yikes. It was completely not planned, I assure you.<br /><br />My current lack of sleepiness might also have something to do with things I have running through my mind at full speed.<br /><br />In order to relax and pass the time in a way other then staring at a dark wall I decided to watch Cinderella.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This movie, right here.<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-zumUSvXy19PxKS7XQJImf_ALH19ikqlb-DZzOCafbGiOSn6H_9RNE6D2iq_iMBDLyoIc1_PqvLxWnLGbuMvbKQAdxOcuQX3FBidcENYbFGHMaIiww215eAP3m4yYysH-MLyZrxmRjg9/s1600/Cinderella-1950-wdp.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-zumUSvXy19PxKS7XQJImf_ALH19ikqlb-DZzOCafbGiOSn6H_9RNE6D2iq_iMBDLyoIc1_PqvLxWnLGbuMvbKQAdxOcuQX3FBidcENYbFGHMaIiww215eAP3m4yYysH-MLyZrxmRjg9/s320/Cinderella-1950-wdp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607930594732023906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I adore the classic animated Disney movies. (who doesn't though?) It is so hard for me to pick a favorite. I stress over it. I toss and turn. I just can not. Usually I say my favorite is Beauty and the Beast because, face it people, that movie is amazing. However, it is my favorite by the teeniest-tiniest sliver. Most of the other movies follow after that in 2nd place and 3rd place categories.<br /><br />We all have movies that make us feel nostalgic and have a calming sense of familiarity about them. We remember watching them on VHS. We remember acting them out maybe? We remember asking our parents to watch it over and over? You know what I'm talking about, right? For me, one of those movies is Cinderella.<br /><br />My Mom has told me this and I have read it in her journal she kept when I was around 2 years old. Apparently, I loved to pretend to be Cinderella. I would wake up and say, "Come on, get up you say. Time to start another day!" Cute, right? I think it just shows how early I loved watching this movie.<br /><br />I do not know how many times I have watched this movie over time...it is a lot... I went a while without watching it. When I watched it after that long absence (only a couple years) I was surprised at how familiar it was! Especially the opening when the gold book opens to begin the story. It makes me smile. It makes me feel carefree. It makes me feel like no matter how bad things are, little mice and birds and a fairy godmother will help me...<br /><br />(Just kidding about that last part.)<br /><br />Cinderella is such a wonderful classic fairytale. I love the story itself. I could get even deeper and analytical about why and what not..but I think I have rambled on enough.<br /><br />Here are a couple more Cinderella related pictures for your enjoyment:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />Halloween 2006. I dressed as Cinderella. One of my all time favorite Halloween costumes. I am holding a figurine of Gus Gus. I love him. (PS. I got that dress at a thrift store. It was awesome.)<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wW5K-PJuXahGaepebRTkZYEtALJAmCFbSioerCxLi6ulAvoaj-dL9U3bzlauRmzUdfZo55dL2CN8nCa3ujJg8yztwBQ2pNyXhkT17RK5QFcHkDqgtI29HZHO0lxhDBK1bLQd4azaZxMd/s1600/DSCN1752.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wW5K-PJuXahGaepebRTkZYEtALJAmCFbSioerCxLi6ulAvoaj-dL9U3bzlauRmzUdfZo55dL2CN8nCa3ujJg8yztwBQ2pNyXhkT17RK5QFcHkDqgtI29HZHO0lxhDBK1bLQd4azaZxMd/s320/DSCN1752.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607936965374067650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Honeymoon to Disneyland in 2007. She asked if I had found my Prince Charming (about Danny).I told her I had. I might have giggled too.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOfTOa-j0h0gEfy0WFaVHcUJ5OXv2jg7J1vghknSaDjhYxdu9Z1ino2dFgqr-jvgkCT9jc-Zh-crtXrCRVcSunkahBET7cQn4dTdbYiX4BGw7snUU-inbUJnxq_rw0nYyv2qecp2GKPKQ/s1600/IMG_3649.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOfTOa-j0h0gEfy0WFaVHcUJ5OXv2jg7J1vghknSaDjhYxdu9Z1ino2dFgqr-jvgkCT9jc-Zh-crtXrCRVcSunkahBET7cQn4dTdbYiX4BGw7snUU-inbUJnxq_rw0nYyv2qecp2GKPKQ/s320/IMG_3649.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607937212080880962" border="0" /></a><br />Actually, I think that last picture was taken in California Adventure...I don't remember for sure.<br /><br />For the record:<br />Danny is doing well. He likes his job. He likes Texas. He loves me. He thinks our turtle is anti-social.<br /><br />I am doing well. I like Danny's job. I like Texas. I love Danny. I think our turtle merely tolerates Danny and me.Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-23771278477374226102011-05-05T20:58:00.005-05:002011-05-05T22:26:38.281-05:00Visiting Utah<div style="text-align: center;">A couple of weeks ago Danny and I went to Utah specifically to eat at this delicious place called JDawgs. His family met us there. Wasn't that nice of them? We had a pleasant and yummy lunch, then went on our separate ways.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzbHK5HnWYYFdXv4XG49qMFePxESafmtaSlXMXLxTsVXJxwuhtYlnYQ45rp5dh5caVfbpRXNBx8F6AhMI2P1D18bc8HjXieSfpDMUn-teZpXgT6w3Uhn_ILw9LYLtGbI3fytyqmTb5BVE/s1600/DSCN3726.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzbHK5HnWYYFdXv4XG49qMFePxESafmtaSlXMXLxTsVXJxwuhtYlnYQ45rp5dh5caVfbpRXNBx8F6AhMI2P1D18bc8HjXieSfpDMUn-teZpXgT6w3Uhn_ILw9LYLtGbI3fytyqmTb5BVE/s320/DSCN3726.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603418190088194194" border="0" /></a>See, here we are at JDawgs. You should eat there. Everyone should eat there. The Polish dog with the sauce is what dreams are made of.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Okay, okay. So maybe we did a few other things besides eat polish dogs for lunch.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Danny graduated. Did you know that? Really he has been officially graduated since December but we went back to BYU for the pomp (and circumstance) of it all.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Bakker family came up from California. It was terrific to see them again. I am so happy they could be there to cheer for Danny with me.<br /></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdYKaV8b3SgIp2zvhtz6JQnJMxTb5JmvvZsiUlGdp2ZxVSTzK3jeR57Ybd3cT1n3wOs26lVv9zqpma7GfTdLpvEEypfeqUaSoCHD86WmZx1LhD3YQoqV-VeJi6ftkCbDTyStmZCVzTxoW/s1600/DSCN3762.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdYKaV8b3SgIp2zvhtz6JQnJMxTb5JmvvZsiUlGdp2ZxVSTzK3jeR57Ybd3cT1n3wOs26lVv9zqpma7GfTdLpvEEypfeqUaSoCHD86WmZx1LhD3YQoqV-VeJi6ftkCbDTyStmZCVzTxoW/s320/DSCN3762.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603418071911680962" border="0" /></a>Here we are surrounding Danny! We are all so proud of him!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Danny's dad had never been to Cabela's. It is definitely a place to go. There are fun things and and animals to look at.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76oOU6WWBV25HNP3FpdZVwxvYIRxtLhSpeoNw72mV5enM5Sl9SyS9sf5SaabTKDHi96DL5m4U7KJcVMNTux3H7jtwEOTiBJksliO-G7IS4UcPcoR006orsbBVU-vIh8YyYc1PO6FKxuk5/s1600/IMG_20110423_193538.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76oOU6WWBV25HNP3FpdZVwxvYIRxtLhSpeoNw72mV5enM5Sl9SyS9sf5SaabTKDHi96DL5m4U7KJcVMNTux3H7jtwEOTiBJksliO-G7IS4UcPcoR006orsbBVU-vIh8YyYc1PO6FKxuk5/s320/IMG_20110423_193538.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417498151182722" border="0" /></a>The Bakker 'kids' in front of Cabela's. I adore my sibling-in-laws.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />On Thursday, to kill time before the University wide Commencement, we went to the Bean Museum. It is full of stuffed (taxidermied?) animals. They are fun to look at. There is one animal, in particular, that I enjoy. Her name is Shasta. She is a Liger.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-o39D-S3t0P2E1E8SA_XeEofrqLJAsQiB7SqUtdjaK90SedWX0Ao2wxk8cX8MFBtiv2G98x8A5UNlXu_dwIp3l_7IpWLTH4fzOsTzA5zbS-f8nkgU-h0HksaVNlIa5nqyG5sLEH7QVbg0/s1600/IMG_20110421_135814.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-o39D-S3t0P2E1E8SA_XeEofrqLJAsQiB7SqUtdjaK90SedWX0Ao2wxk8cX8MFBtiv2G98x8A5UNlXu_dwIp3l_7IpWLTH4fzOsTzA5zbS-f8nkgU-h0HksaVNlIa5nqyG5sLEH7QVbg0/s320/IMG_20110421_135814.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417330427241058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Tigers are one of my favorite animals. I guess that interest transferred to Ligers. They are half tiger after all. And they are "bred for their skills in magic". Do you remember the movie Napolean Dynamite? I have no interest in watching it ever again, but I do still love that part. Napolean says that Ligers are his favorite animals because they were bred for their skills in magic. <br /><br /><br />We had a great time in Utah. Danny and I enjoyed seeing our dear friends again. We also enjoyed seeing my Utah family again. I really loved being able to get to know them better while I was at school. Danny and I spent a good amount of time with them while we lived in Utah. For that, I am grateful.<br /><br />Visiting Utah was wonderful. The best part was, we were only VISITING. It was refreshing to visit Utah instead of visiting Texas and returning to Utah.<br /><br />So, now we are back in Texas and back to our happy little lives.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-88214138457816850312011-04-07T00:51:00.004-05:002011-04-08T01:11:42.400-05:00Out With the Old. In With the New.I was having a difficult time falling asleep. In my quest for feeling sleepy I was playing around on my computer and I thought to myself, "Hey, I haven't updated the good ol' blog in a while. I should do that." I really did think the phrase "good ol'"<br /><br />So, here I am. Hello blog.<br /><br />Since my last post Danny and I have moved into a new apartment and bought a new car. How very adult of us.<br /><br />I think I will focus on the apartment in another post. Now, I would like to discuss automobiles.<br /><br />Danny and I had a car full of personality. His name was Mill "Lenny" M. Falcon. We called him Lenny for short. This car lived a long and happy life in the Bakker family. Danny's grandpa bought the car back in 1992. A week ago last Monday, Lenny died while Danny was driving to work. To summarize, the repair was just too expensive to do on a 20 year old car. So we donated Lenny to a charity and bought ourselves a shiny new car.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here is Lenny being taken away by the charity.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVECybeOeuNTVEu3if8A_m20tykWaZk08SeMxV_BpAkLc_oZlYr9FETKSvziF8_Y9HRbyA_skmM6_QZ5tlZIPZaMDJwrIWvvzjlhpSk9AyKvD157H0WlVcBcmvpsWfHoqMNr4onaHfD5q/s1600/IMG_20110404_114407.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVECybeOeuNTVEu3if8A_m20tykWaZk08SeMxV_BpAkLc_oZlYr9FETKSvziF8_Y9HRbyA_skmM6_QZ5tlZIPZaMDJwrIWvvzjlhpSk9AyKvD157H0WlVcBcmvpsWfHoqMNr4onaHfD5q/s320/IMG_20110404_114407.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592715513511478322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is our new car. A 2011 Hyundai Sonata named Kenobi<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLU3bQZ_6-3N2p0tvOheBmS6USPVRWX2KfhN-ubrTuPplDAX6VSa_fjQgRvnappk2Y-K50wMjM9cxw_GUUzPLplb45z-mb7w76VWOXq9u30h2e-iQnbFG2m7Ij86RqBGr_9crl9UcoIOq/s1600/DSCN3684.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLU3bQZ_6-3N2p0tvOheBmS6USPVRWX2KfhN-ubrTuPplDAX6VSa_fjQgRvnappk2Y-K50wMjM9cxw_GUUzPLplb45z-mb7w76VWOXq9u30h2e-iQnbFG2m7Ij86RqBGr_9crl9UcoIOq/s320/DSCN3684.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592715643370601282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am in love with that color.<br /><br />Danny and I had been planning on getting a new car soon anyway. Lenny was to be our second car. Now we still only have one car but, as my family has expressed, they do not worry about us being dependent on this car. By 'us' I mean, Danny having to drive so far to get to work.<br /><br />Danny and I had a few stressful and emotional days. Stressful because buying a new car is stressful. Period. It was emotional for a few reasons:<br /><br />1: Danny had this car in his family for a very long time. It is the type of sadness that accompanies something comfortable and familiar not being around anymore. (part of that is true for me too. I knew the car for almost 4 years and it was our first car together)<br /><br />2: I am crazy and get attached to inanimate objects. Of course calling him Lenny and joking about him having a personality did not help things. I had to remind myself that 'it' was just a car and did not actually have feelings. Hey, I'm just being honest here.<br /><br />3: There was stress. Stress is an emotion. So I guess stressful and emotional is a bit redundant.<br /><br />This experience did have some high points. I was able to observe some blessings in our life.<br /><br />1: Lenny lasted a long time. We did a major repair on the transmission that bought us 2 1/2 more years. He lasted just long enough for us to be in a situation where we could afford a new car. That is what we hoped and prayed for while we were in school.<br /><br />2: Danny's family giving him the car to begin with.<br /><br />3: Danny's fantastic coworkers who were so willing to give him rides. Especially the coworker that lives near us and took Danny to and and home from work.<br /><br />4: My wonderful parental units who drove us to car lots and took me grocery shopping and helped me do research. And Danny's dad who has much car buying knowledge. He gave Danny some good pointers and info.<br /><br />5: Being able to buy a car on the last day of the month and the last day of a quarter. Because of the timing we were able to get all the financial stuff how we wanted. (Danny was an amazing negotiator!!)<br /><br />6: The auto-shop that offered to allow Lenny to stay in their lot until arrangements could be made and the Dallas Can Academy that picks up cars in any condition.<br /><br />And that is that. Everything happened fairly quickly and within a week the old car was gone and the new car has happily taken its place.<br /><br />In case anyone is curious, we originally intended to get a gently used car but with some discounts and the Sonata not being an expensive car to begin with, we decided to get a new car with only 15 miles on it as opposed to an older one that already has some wear and tear.<br /><br />We will always remember Lenny. We have some fun stories about him that we figure will be our version of "walking uphill in the snow both ways". Come to think of it, we DID walk uphill in the snow both ways to get to school!<br /><br />I promise to post apartment pictures soon.Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-82613407038377144852011-02-15T16:49:00.001-06:002011-02-15T17:13:39.339-06:00A thought about Valentine's DayValentine's Day was yesterday. I love Valentine's Day because it gives me an extra excuse to spoil Danny. Not that I really need an excuse.<br /><br />I was thinking though (uh oh). I am so blessed (or spoiled) to be married to Danny. Valentine's Day for us is a bit superfluous. I think that is how it should be though. Or at least, how it should be for us. Danny is so good to tell me, everyday, that he loves me. He also shows me that he loves me by how he acts and what he does to take of me and to take care of our lives.<br /><br />So, while Valentine's Day is a nice holiday, do not forget about the other 364 days of the year. Love is okay everyday!!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwOHUL3G87IKGVYeBtl0Lm80mbYqohjJ0p0JCTYMnYujXXaOmsYoKuha3C8W7gMqxyrHl10XV62CV7UupuXR4Dn1UOiE337D71iVqqGS9AGiAxpJb2FUtmtJdYAiWkjIhRam0_J3_nWRW/s1600/Christmas+2009+022.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwOHUL3G87IKGVYeBtl0Lm80mbYqohjJ0p0JCTYMnYujXXaOmsYoKuha3C8W7gMqxyrHl10XV62CV7UupuXR4Dn1UOiE337D71iVqqGS9AGiAxpJb2FUtmtJdYAiWkjIhRam0_J3_nWRW/s320/Christmas+2009+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574057818409679410" border="0" /></a>Christmas 2009<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(We really need some nice recent pictures of both of us, together.</span>)<br /></div>Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7121391567382518330.post-47482310078691984892011-02-02T15:58:00.007-06:002011-02-02T16:34:15.648-06:00Hippo Bird-day<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What has two thumbs, loves Star Wars, and was born on this day??</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXL7oxZO0jTD4tr3MHBZj0QYZ7mk0RCRE2AgPbPlF37dJHUb63IZAGJHqgih3oous87VRLz4PTaZ1WnRvPsxCly8Nhghr9VdJ4hVlFkGcz_nvQEvvJ-KYu5dg3fhdIIxNqyM2tCKqxl4c/s1600/DSCN3491.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXL7oxZO0jTD4tr3MHBZj0QYZ7mk0RCRE2AgPbPlF37dJHUb63IZAGJHqgih3oous87VRLz4PTaZ1WnRvPsxCly8Nhghr9VdJ4hVlFkGcz_nvQEvvJ-KYu5dg3fhdIIxNqyM2tCKqxl4c/s320/DSCN3491.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569215483740243522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />THIS GUY!</span><br /></div><br />Usually to celebrate his birthday we have a really rockin' party with friends and delicious food and Star Wars decorations. This year we are not. I did make him lemon cupcakes that I will go put some strawberry frosting on in a few minutes. That is a good thing. Don't worry. He likes lemon cupcakes with strawberry frosting.<br /><br />February 2nd is one of my absolute favorite days of the year. Besides being Groundhog's Day, it is also the day that a pretty fantastic and amazing guy was born. I love this guy. His name is Danny. He is my husband of 3 and a half years. I could go on and on and be all mushy about how awesome he is and how much I love him. But if you know him, you probably already know that for yourself. Besides, he gets embarrassed when I brag about him. Ha! Suffice it to say that I love him.<br /><br />Here are some other pictures for your enjoyment:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimgKPQ7CRywmEpX-RBUAZ2VG7cm5jEQnAOs5pLlwTH2CHlLDIBlbnFNcc2DT_jlWxVgOdLclIeO_qNOCz9501mV8hcazEKMoNMHwFtf_Ypx2soSPM9haar3PjfOYEGgELIDDsdx1d-D5W/s1600/Baby+Danny.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimgKPQ7CRywmEpX-RBUAZ2VG7cm5jEQnAOs5pLlwTH2CHlLDIBlbnFNcc2DT_jlWxVgOdLclIeO_qNOCz9501mV8hcazEKMoNMHwFtf_Ypx2soSPM9haar3PjfOYEGgELIDDsdx1d-D5W/s320/Baby+Danny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569219185064041538" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I have used this one on the blog before. Oh well. I love it. Look how cute!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1qa_-v1U8uyAmxBWaLrrhI5gf8dy9cNBtvTowov9gHNT5MC9xSXtv3HXmR9tCa2hFUVY8jC6c5XpKbHRWYF6CTmUVRqQkvtSPlUuFTm16dNhB54jJ-5UM4DgO4TohEtoOpxm1Ahmgo46/s1600/Wedding+Pictures+004.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1qa_-v1U8uyAmxBWaLrrhI5gf8dy9cNBtvTowov9gHNT5MC9xSXtv3HXmR9tCa2hFUVY8jC6c5XpKbHRWYF6CTmUVRqQkvtSPlUuFTm16dNhB54jJ-5UM4DgO4TohEtoOpxm1Ahmgo46/s320/Wedding+Pictures+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569220157255820050" border="0" /></a>Wedding picture. What a good-lookin' fella.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDLGo6tQ8DJRpKE77iXJJKptdqQrqASFSbNDh7fXZggnVoUgRIuOOH9PtLNYVb85wcMEfKwlo4QI-Xoh3cU0Rn9zbwjz-UbdO5CqrGk6oDzh6NeP2sOiBGdngTzNoJs98u8UhtBVCxTw6/s1600/Halloween+and+others+048.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDLGo6tQ8DJRpKE77iXJJKptdqQrqASFSbNDh7fXZggnVoUgRIuOOH9PtLNYVb85wcMEfKwlo4QI-Xoh3cU0Rn9zbwjz-UbdO5CqrGk6oDzh6NeP2sOiBGdngTzNoJs98u8UhtBVCxTw6/s320/Halloween+and+others+048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569221071024210658" border="0" /></a>He is cool enough to dress up as Jedi Voldemort<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKOf_V7O4Hv8NU-Uf5UdHDIXIThHztQRRMJO0qdDB_zlrUifeInJIZ9zKeKB2eWAbbi8vAe-uj5c1YIHmvi1iW4zEiZVEfj3rsfZ2cU_Sj2_z50GEiSLiQA97MwdnUTL_81mOV9czUFtJ/s1600/DSCN3485.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKOf_V7O4Hv8NU-Uf5UdHDIXIThHztQRRMJO0qdDB_zlrUifeInJIZ9zKeKB2eWAbbi8vAe-uj5c1YIHmvi1iW4zEiZVEfj3rsfZ2cU_Sj2_z50GEiSLiQA97MwdnUTL_81mOV9czUFtJ/s320/DSCN3485.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569221450666628370" border="0" /></a>Here he is observing the snow last month.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Calihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297853952219973280noreply@blogger.com2